Love Spell
by tragedyneverends
Summary: AU. "Hold on, are you saying that you are the fairy that helped us with our spell and made our boyfriends fall in love with us, and now you're here because we have to pay you?"/ SasuSaku NaruHina NejiTen ShikaTema SaIno
1. The pajama party

Notes: Hello! thanks for reading my fic (: This is the first time I actually **love** one of my stories and I'll be updating soon because I'm kind of obsessed with this D: Anyways, enjoy it...?

Disclaimer: I hate this. You obviously know I don't own Naruto, 'cause you're not stupid, right? So... whatever.

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**_Chapter one_**

_The pajama party_

It all started with one _stupid_ game, in one _stupid _night, at a _stupid _pajama party, with five _stupid _girls.

Hinata's pajama party was supposed to be the best pajama party ever. Firstly, because her friends had been very excited about it, so they were supposed to plan cool stuff to do; and secondly, because Hinata was a Hyuuga, so she was rich, her house was a mansion, and her bedroom was out of this world.

But no. There was no fun, no laughter, and – hell, not even music! It looked like the most _boring_ pajama party ever, because Hinata's four best friends were acting all out-of-character ever since they arrived and _no one_ was having fun.

Sakura Haruno, one of the first friends Hinata ever made, who used to be a happy, high-tempered and smart girl, was lying on Hinata's king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling. She was so quiet and calm that Hinata almost thought she was dead or something.

Ino Yamanaka, the most popular girl in school, someone everyone described as a loud, crazy and fun blonde, was sitting in front of Hinata's big mirror, staring at herself while combing her long hair. Hinata noticed that she wasn't actually _looking_ at herself; her eyes seemed distant, as if she was deep in thought, and they looked sad.

Temari No Sabaku, the oldest of them for two years, was someone described as friendly, sincere and high-tempered by everyone she knew. But, even though Hinata knew she was the kind of person that always needed to be doing something, she was in her balcony, watching the stars decorating the black sky above them. She wasn't the type of person that likes silence, either, just like Ino (maybe it was a blonde thing), so the sight of her being quiet, calm and thoughtful was extremely awkward.

And lastly, TenTen, the first best friend Hinata ever had, someone Hinata knew as the back of her hand, was playing with her iPod, totally quiet. Sure, TenTen was quiet and thoughtful sometimes, because she was a mature girl (even for her age: just one year older than Hinata) and very smart, but – c´mon, thoughtfulness never got mixed with a pajama party! TenTen sure knew that, and instead of listening music quietly, she should've been singing and dancing and acting like a fool and _just having fun_!

They all seemed to be trapped into their own minds, and that hadn't been the plan, right? It was a pajama party, they were all best friends, and they were supposed to be laughing, talking, playing, or _something_! Hinata was getting more and more bored, confused and annoyed.

Suddenly, Hinata couldn't stand it anymore. Something was wrong, and she had to do something about it _now_.

"Okay, STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Hinata exclaimed, and her voice charged with annoyance and frustration came out louder than she had planned.

Sakura sat down and stared at Hinata with wide eyes; Ino stopped combing her hair and stared at Hinata through the mirror, too; Temari left the balcony and entered the room, looking alarmed, as if she had thought someone was in danger; and TenTen raised her head and dropped the iPod away. They looked surprised and confused, but they were paying attention to her, and that was what she needed.

"Stop what?" Sakura was the first to say something, speaking for everyone else. Hinata turned to her, and realized just how random her outburst had been. She sighed and started walking towards the bed to sit on the edge of it, right next to Sakura.

"I don't understand what you guys are doing," Hinata started, "but what I do understand is that there's something wrong with each one of you. I don't know what, and I don't know if it's because of something I did or said before, but-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Ino interrupted, frowning at Hinata and standing up. "Hinata, you so not have something to do with this. Nothing here is your fault!"

"Yeah, so don't say that, because we're the ones crazy in here," TenTen supported, with a grin on her face. Hinata smiled back, feeling happy to see them act like their own selves again.

"But still, that doesn't tell me what's wrong with you, girls," the Hyuuga girl insisted.

Temari walked towards the bed and sat next to Sakura. "Well," she said, "I didn't realize before that the others were also quiet, 'cause I was in my own world, but I guess that, if you really wanna know, I can tell you what's going on with me."

"I'm listening," Hinata smirked. "But you're all next, okay?" She pointed her other friends and they nodded and smiled at her. TenTen and Ino climbed the king-sized bed, and now the five of them were on it.

"Okay, here I go… You remember Shikamaru Nara, right?" Temari asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course we do, he's my ex-boyfriend!" Ino rolled her eyes. "And he's also one of our closer friends."

"Oh, right…" Temari took a deep breath, readying herself. "Well, you see… lately, he's been hanging out with Gaara, my brother, a lot, and he's coming to our house to play videogames and stuff. You know I love videogames and I'm very competitive, so when one afternoon Shikamaru challenged me to play Mortal Kombat with him, I couldn't say no. He's really good, almost as much as me, and we became, like_- rivals_, but…" She looked down and murmured: "Okay, this is the part I hate…"

Sakura noticed she was blushing, and as soon as the realization hit her, she said: "YOU LIKE SHIKAMARU!"

Well, _screamed_, actually. When Sakura had an awesome idea or realized something, she said it without thinking twice. And right now, it was the moment to think it twice, because- it was _Temari_, for God's sake! Hinata knew she was going to explode even before Sakura finished the sentence.

"SHUT UP, SAKURA!" Temari yelled, almost making the girls deaf. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "I didn't scream at the top of my lungs that you liked Sasuke when you first told us!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! But- dude_, are you serious_?" Sakura was unable to hide her excitement and surprise.

"Yes, I'm serious!" Temari looked angry, but her face was as red as a tomato.

"Temari! That's… that's _shocking_!" Hinata said, blinking and processing the information properly.

"Shocking? Believe me, this is the next level of _shock!_" was TenTen's response.

They were waiting for Ino to say something, because she was someone that always had something to say, but when they turned to her, they saw she was frozen, staring at Temari with wide eyes and a fallen jaw.

TenTen poked her shoulder. "Um, Ino?" she said. Ino reacted, turning to her and blinking her eyes. Then she seemed to remember what just happened, and realized that they were waiting for her opinion as Temari's friend… and Shikamaru's ex-girlfriend.

"Listen, Ino," Temari started before she could say something, "I know this is awkward because he was your, er, _boyfriend_, and believe me, I didn't plan this, but I have to accept it: _I like him_. And I-"

"Temari!" Ino interrupted her. "You really wanna know what I think?" She made a dramatic pause, and then… she smiled. "I'm happy you finally accepted it!"

Sakura was the only one that laughed with Ino. The other girls were confused, especially Temari. "Oh, we didn't tell them Ino!" Sakura said when she was done laughing out loud.

Ino stopped laughing, turned to TenTen and Hinata, and said, "Well, you see, we wanted to tell you tonight, but- well, we forgot."

"Tell us what?" TenTen said, raising an eyebrow.

"That Temari liked Shikamaru!" Ino replied, surprising them. "I realized one time that I was with Temari and we found Shikamaru and he waved at us. It was like one week ago and I saw the way Temari looked at him, and then I discovered it! I never thought Temari was going to actually _accept_ it, though, so I'm also surprised."

"Ino told me that same day," Sakura said and then turned to Temari, "and, no matter how much I hate to accept it, seems like Ino-pig was right."

"I'm always right, forehead-girl!" Ino exclaimed. The girls laughed and Ino smiled at Temari sincerely. "Shika is an awesome boy, and I'm sure you'll make a hot couple!"

In Ino's language, that meant _I'm glad and I wish you luck_, which was something good. Temari smiled back and hugged Ino, feeling happy she wasn't mad at her.

"But…" Temari bit her lower lip, hesitating. "I don't know girls; I'm not sure he likes me too."

"Temari, you're super hot!" Ino exclaimed. "He'd be an idiot if he wouldn't ask you out, so forget about negative thoughts, okay? Besides, he likes blondes!" Temari smiled and nodded slowly, but she didn't look very sure.

"Okay then, Temari confessed it," Hinata said, going back to the principal subject. "But it's someone else's turn to confess! Who's next?"

"I think I'll do it," Sakura sighed sadly. Her friends listened to her attentively. "You all know I like Sasuke Uchiha, right? That I like him so much that I can say I love him. But I heard something yesterday that broke my heart: he's dating Karin."

"_WHAT?_" her four friends said- ahem, _screamed_, actually. Sakura covered her ears, wondering if the world had something against her hearing today: first Temari, now this! Then, her friends started talking at the same time.

"I can't believe it!" Hinata said.

"That's impossible! I mean- you got to be kidding me!" TenTen said.

"_KARIN_! He preferred _HER_? Eww!" Ino said.

"This guy has gone seriously crazy," Temari said.

Sakura sighed sadly. Her friends were very surprised, and pissed, in Ino's case, just like she had expected. "Guys, calm down!" she said, and they obeyed. "Listen, I know it's unbelievable, imagine how _I_ feel! But it's true… They started yesterday, and it was supposed to be a secret until Monday, but Karin, as the stupid _bitch_ she is, wanted me to be the first to know it."

"Because she knows you like him," TenTen reasoned, and then sighed heavily. "That bitch is going to pay for this shit."

"Oh, no TenTen, we can't do anything!" Sakura looked down sadly. "He likes her, not me. He chose her, so she has the right to feel happy. She won… I lost. Besides, they make a good couple, right? He's the most handsome boy in school and she's… well, she's pretty, and I have to accept it."

"_Pretty_?" Ino laughed bitterly and rolled her eyes. "That bitch is _not_ pretty, she's a whore!"

"Mmm… at least she doesn't have a huge forehead…" Sakura murmured, and her green eyes started to water.

Hinata felt her heart breaking seeing her friend so depressed. She put her arms around the pink haired girl and rubbed her back gently. Sakura buried her face in her chest and Hinata heard her sobbing.

"Sakura…" Hinata whispered. "Oh, please don't be sad. You're beautiful, more beautiful than her, don't you ever doubt it! You're also smarter and a better person. Sasuke is stupid if he couldn't realize that. He chose Karin, but he'll regret it soon!"

"Yeah, forehead-girl, you are too much for him!" Ino added, and all her friends were hugging Sakura now. That seemed to make her feel better; she knew she was not alone. Slowly, she sat up and the girls gave her space.

"Thank you so much, guys," Sakura said smiling and wiping her tears away. They were right: Sasuke Uchiha was going to regret. _Screw my low self-esteem_, she thought. _I have to be strong. Sasuke is the only guy I want, but he's not worth my love, he will not break me down, and he'll regret of choosing Karin very soon, just like Hinata said. _Still, deep inside, she knew that it didn't matter if he was a bastard not worth her love; she wanted him anyways, because she loved his flaws as much as she loved the good aspects about him. It was real love.

"Okay, anyways…" Ino clapped her hands, taking everyone's attention, and making Sakura decide to put her problems aside. "Let's forget about insensitive bastards and fake whores, all right? Goodbye, tragedies! Let's continue with the confessions… Who's next?"

"I'm going to be polite and let you go first, Miss Yamanaka," TenTen said, not wanting to be next. Ino glared at her but accepted.

"I guess it's my turn then." Ino took a deep breath. "Well, I'm… thoughtful, because I met a boy, a very handsome boy. He reminds me of Sasuke a little, but I think he's way more handsome and a better person, and no, forehead-girl, he's mine, so get your own!" Ino glared at Sakura when she smiled with hope.

"I was kidding, Ino-pig! No one wants your Sasuke-clone. Besides, right now, I hate everything about him." Sakura answered.

"Hey, just like Three Days Grace's song! Okay, well, anyways," Ino continued, "I met him on… Wednesday, I believe, in my art class. Since when do I take art classes, you wonder? Well, I wanted to learn how to draw well, as a new hobby, so I changed it for my Biology class. The point is that we talked and flirted a little but I just saw him one day! I didn't see him on Thursday or Friday and when I asked the teacher about him, she said he was out of time and she didn't know how long he would be absent, and that made me kind of sad because I have been thinking about him ever since the day I met him, and I think I actually have a crush on him!" She sighed. "Well, that's why I was so quiet: I was just thinking about Sai and missing him."

Hinata nodded and turned to the only girl who hadn't confessed yet. "Okay, TenTen. Are you ready?" she asked her brunette friend.

"I guess I am," TenTen replied. "Well, I was a little distracted because, um, well…" She leaned closer, looked around as if she was checking there was no one else near to hear her, and whispered, "You all know I like Neji, right?"

"Yes, TenTen, but I don't understand why you have to whisper-" Hinata started, a little too loud for TenTen's like.

TenTen shushed her and continued whispering. "He can hear us, Hinata! That's why! Remember he's your cousin, and he lives with you, and his bedroom is right next to yours!"

"Agh, okay, whatever…" Hinata rolled her pale eyes.

"Ahem, as I was saying," TenTen was speaking normally again, "I have another thing to confess, something I didn't tell you before, okay? Well, here I go: two weeks ago, Neji Hyuuga told me he likes me."

"_WHAAAT!_" the other girls screamed at the top of their lungs. Sakura was seriously annoyed with the attacks against her hearing, but she screamed too, because it was just too _shocking_.

"Guys!" TenTen said, unaffected. "Don't be so loud, please!"

Suddenly, they heard the door being opened and Neji burst into the room. "What's going on here?" he said, looking alarmed and ready to kick some butt (he was black belt, after all).

"Neji!" Hinata exclaimed, surprised.

"I am sorry, Hinata," Neji said, stepping back and relaxing. "It's just that I heard you screaming and I-… Oh, I really apologize, it was a misunderstood."

"Don't worry; I guess we… were too dramatic." Hinata smiled nervously.

"Oh, okay. I see you're all okay, so... I'll leave now. Good night, everyone." Neji turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Good night, Neji!" the girls said at the same time. When he finally left, they turned to TenTen. The girl was looking down at her lap, frozen. Her brown locks covered her face (her hair was down), but they saw her face was red.

"We are so sorry, TenTen," Sakura whispered. "We didn't mean to be so loud, and we didn't expect Neji to hear us."

"It's okay," TenTen raised her head and looked at them, smiling. "It was just… embarrassing and - surprising!"

They laughed, relaxing. The truth was that they were all embarrassed. Neji Hyuuga, one of the most handsome and popular boys in their school- and her male cousin, in Hinata's case- saw them in pajamas, after all.

"Hey!" Ino said. "And what happened then, TenTen?"

The girls leaned closer to TenTen, wanting to hear _everything_ about it. "Well," TenTen started, fidgeting, "I confessed that I liked him too, obviously." The girls were shocked again, and they had to cover their mouths if they didn't want Neji to come back.

"And then?" Sakura gasped.

"Then…" TenTen looked down sadly. "He said that he didn't know what to do, that he had to think about it a lot. I don't talk to him ever since that time, it was two weeks ago, and he still hasn't told me his conclusion… I mean, I don't know if he's going to ask me to be his girlfriend or if our friendship is going to end, so… I'm really sad with all this uncertainty, girls."

TenTen wasn't going to cry, but she needed a hug. Ino put her arms around her and made her feel a little better.

"Well," Hinata started, "I guess now I know your reasons, and that makes me feel better. Girls, you can't keep it all to yourselves, because we're, after all, best friends, right? So next time, talk about it, or at least try not to be depressed in a pajama party, please." She smiled. Her friends nodded, and they stayed quiet for a moment, just thinking.

"Do you realize that our problems are always because of men?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Yeah, well, it's the only thing we really care about," Temari replied. "After all, we're teenagers, with hormones, and sexuality, and needs…"

"Oh, don't start with your sex talks, Temari. We know you're the only not virgin in here, but please…" Ino shook her head, and they laughed.

After a few more minutes of silence, Sakura suddenly said, "I GOT IT!"

The girls knew her idea was going to be good, because every time she had a sudden outburst like that, she was planning something big. They listened attentively, filled with curiosity. "I know you guys don't believe in magic and all the stuff I use to tell you about," Sakura said. "But I read on internet about a spell-"

"Sakura, don't start with it!" Ino interrupted her. She knew Sakura ever since they were babies, and she knew Sakura had an obsession with spells and magic ever since her aunt, who was like a witch or something like that, taught little Sakura some of her magic, but the worst thing of all was that Sakura actually _believed_ it worked. Seriously, she was fifteen years old! Magic was for kids!

"Hey, just listen to me, it's not that bad!" Sakura said. "Look, with this spell, you can make the boy you like to like you too… And that will solve our problems, girls! We all want some boy to fall in love with us, and the spell will just make it easier. I want Sasuke, Ino wants the boy from her art class, Temari wants Shikamaru, TenTen wants Neji- although he already likes you, but the spell will make him decide to choose to ask you to be his girlfriend-, and Hinata wants…"

Sakura stopped. Hinata knew what she was going to say, they all knew, but she didn't want to hear it. "Sakura, I think it's not a good idea," Hinata said, changing the subject. "I think that if we want some boy to fall in love with us, we can't force him with magic or things like that. If he'll love you, he will do it if he wants to, so-"

"Hinata, you want Naruto." Oh no, she said it.

Hinata looked down, blushing. Yes, she liked him, a lot, but she gave up on him a long time ago, because he didn't notice her. He was actually in love with Sakura, well, not anymore, but he would never like Hinata, and she accepted it. And, although she still cared about him, she didn't want to feel hopes, not anymore. Besides, Hinata had a bad feeling about this spell, but she didn't know why.

"And," Sakura continued, "the spell doesn't force them to love you, it just makes it easier for them. Just think about it! If the boy you love would love you back, wouldn't your life be easier?"

Hinata wanted to say something else but she realized the other girls seemed to agree and that they were looking at her with pleading eyes. "C'mon, Hinata," Ino begged, "It's just a _game_! I mean, I don't believe in magic either, and if the spell doesn't work it's not gonna affect us. But if it does work, which has like zero point one probabilities to happen, it would be so awesome! I mean, Sakura is right: our lives would be way easier! " Temari and TenTen nodded in agreement.

_Oh, whatever_, Hinata thought, and she rolled her eyes. "_Fine_, let's do it," she said without enthusiasm, and her friends smiled and cheered.

Sakura stood up and walked towards Hinata's desk. She turned Hinata's pink laptop on and started searching something on internet, while Ino, TenTen and Temari watched her doing her job with anxiety. Hinata wasn't so enthusiastic about it; something inside of her wanted Naruto, her crush since she was eleven years old, to fall in love with her, but the other part told her not to hope, because magic existed just in fairy tales.

"Okay, found it!" Sakura suddenly said. The other girls jumped up from the bed and walked towards her. They stood behind Sakura to have a good view of the laptop's screen.

"_How to make a man fall in love with you,_" TenTen read out loud. "What a complex name…" she added sarcastically.

"Okay, this is what we need, write it down, please," Sakura said. Ino took a notebook and a pen and started writing everything Sakura said. "We need twelve petals of a white rose, a bird's yellow feather, some hair of the man you want, a small picture of yourself, a drop of your own blood, some of your perfume, sand, five liters of water from a lake, a rock from a cemetery and something made of silver. We need to do this at night, in a forest, under the full moon. We will mix the ingredients with a wood spoon while we say these words: _With the power of my love and the presence of the moon, the man I love will love me back and my dream will come true_."

"Those are cheesy words," Ino murmured, making a face.

"They are _magical_ words," Sakura corrected. "Anyways, I believe it will be full moon next Friday, which means…" She stood up, turned around and stared at the four girls with a serious expression, "that you have one week to get some hair from your man, ladies!"

Everyone, except Hinata, nodded enthusiastically. Sakura noticed Hinata's discomfort, and decided to talk to her. "Listen, Hinata" Sakura said, as Ino and the others walked towards the bed, talking about how cool it would be if the spell really worked, "I know you're a little uncomfortable with this situation, but really, you can try it, and I know you gave up with Naruto a long time ago, but I know him very well. I am her best female friend, Sasuke is the male one, and I know how dense he is! Hope dies last, don't you think?"

Hinata considered for a moment, and then she thought, _Oh, what the hell!_ _It's just a game, as Ino said_. She smiled sheepishly, and said, "I guess that if I try it again, maybe he's less dense than three years ago."

"Yay!" Sakura smiled happily. "Besides, if it doesn't work, at least we tried it."

After that, the five girls had a normal pajama party, like the one Hinata had expected before. They had a new hope now: the love spell. That made them feel better, relaxed, so they just enjoyed their night and had fun.

None of them would have guessed that it all started right then, with that _stupid_ game, in that _stupid_ night, at that _stupid_ pajama party, with those five _stupid_ girls.

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Notes: Chapter has been edited because it used to be so crappy it made me wanna cry. But well, I wrote it a long time ago, and I've gotten better at writting, so it's less crappy now.

Tell me: loved it? hated it? you don't know? just review and tell me, sweetheart! :)


	2. Cutting hair

Notes: Second chapter! :D Wow, I can't believe I'm actually liking the plot xD I suck at writing, I have to confess, but this is _goooood_! Well, that's _my_ opinion. If you think I still suck and this story also sucks, you can review, okay? (: Anyways, about this chapter, there are some flashbacks (because I want to) but they're like the experience each girl is relating to the others :D Sakura's flashback is longer because she's the main character, I guess.

Disclaimer: You know I'm not Masashi Kishimoto.

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**_Chapter two_**

_Cutting hair_

Hinata and TenTen were on their regular table in their high school's cafeteria. The Hyuuga girl was poking her salad with a fork, deep in thought. TenTen was focused on the music she was listening in her iPod and tapping her foot at the rhythm of the song. The students on the other tables around them were talking and being noisy, so they didn't hear the familiar voice calling their names until a girl sat in front of Hinata and waved a hand in front of her face, catching her attention.

"Huh?" Hinata raised her head, blinking with confusion. She had been so deep in thought she didn't notice Sakura before. The pink haired girl was smiling at her, and she seemed extremely happy. Hinata wondered why for a moment, but then she remembered; today was Friday, finally, the day they were going to do the love spell.

"Hello Miss Hyuuga, have you come back from the moon?" Sakura asked playfully. Hinata smiled sheepishly, and right then, TenTen took her eyes off her iPod's screen and noticed Sakura.

"Oh, when did you get here, Sakura?" TenTen said, taking her earphones off.

"You listen to very loud music, dude," Sakura said, rolling her green eyes. "You didn't even hear me calling your names. I can't understand why you haven't gone deaf yet… which reminds me that my hearing is very sensitive since last Friday… Anyways, are you guys excited for today?"

Sakura was very enthusiastic, and that surprised Hinata a little. She was supposed to be a little depressed about Sasuke and Karin, because their relationship was now finally official, but she seemed okay. But, well, Sakura was a master to hide her true feelings, she had to remember. Sometimes Hinata wished she could be as good as her at that.

"Yeah! I'm so freaking excited that I couldn't stop thinking about it during the whole week!" TenTen seemed to be very enthusiastic, too. "I even had a dream about it! I was about the spell actually working and that Neji asking me to be his girlfriend and it was so freaking cheesy that I almost threw up - but I loved it!"

"And what about you, Hinata?" Sakura turned to said girl. Hinata shrugged, acting kind of apathetic, but Sakura didn't say anything. She knew Hinata had a bad feeling about the spell and everything, but she also knew she wanted Naruto to like her. Besides, she agreed to do it, right? And her apathy wasn't going to screw her plans.

"_OH MY GOD, GIRLS!"_ someone suddenly screamed, catching their (and everyone else's) attention. They recognized the voice even before they saw her, and, besides, it was pretty obvious; who else was noisy enough to scream like that without giving a damn?

"What now, Ino?" Sakura asked lazily, turning around to see her blonde friend entering the cafeteria, running and waving her hands in the air like a crazy person. She stopped in front of her, gasping for air. When she could breathe again, she took something out of her pocket.

"Sai's hair!" Ino said, handing Sakura a folded napkin. Sakura took it, confused, and unfolded, reveling a short lock of dark hair on it.

"Very well, Ino," Sakura smiled. "I think we're all ready to do it tonight."

"Yay!" Ino exclaimed, sitting next to Hinata. "I really can't wait. I know I said I didn't believe in magic, because I wanted to be skeptical, but I've never done a spell, so this is my first time, and can't help but hope it'll work!"

"I know it will work," Sakura said. "I showed the spell to my aunt yesterday and she told me it seemed to be real, and she knows a lot about magic so we can trust her."

"I really hope so," Hinata confessed, finally speaking. "I guess I'm curious to know if it'll work too."

Sakura smiled at her. Suddenly, she said, "Hey, do any of you know where Temari is?"

"Oh, she told me she needed to get Shikamaru's hair because she forgot to do it. You know how she is…" Ino said, rolling her blue eyes.

"Well, it will be easy for her, 'cause Shikamaru is always sleeping in the garden at lunch time, and she can cut his hair while he's asleep" TenTen said, playing with her iPod. "I just know that Shika is going to be easier than Neji…"

"Was it really that hard?" Hinata asked.

"Well, don't tell anyone, but Neji really loves his hair and-"

"Believe me TenTen, we can notice that. His hair is even prettier than mine," Sakura murmured.

"I know!" TenTen laughed. "Anyways, I had to fool him to cut a lock of his hair, and it wasn't exactly a piece of cake…"

_**Flashback**_

"_You're saying that you learned how to make head massages, and you want to practice with me?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow at TenTen. Said girl nodded and smiled happily. _Please, please believe it_, she begged mentally. _

"_And why don't you practice with Lee? He'll need it more than me…" Neji crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her suspiciously. TenTen's request had been really random, and he had a bad feeling about it. Besides, they were supposed to don't talk to each other ever since that, er, _situation _happened. _

"_Oh, please Neji!" TenTen knew he wasn't going to accept this way, so she decided to start plan B: throw a tantrum. "Why don't you trust me? I'm your best friend ever since we were six years old! I am incapable of doing something to hurt you, because I love-"_

_TenTen covered her mouth with her hands before she could finish the sentence. What the hell had that been? Had she been about to say she _loved _him? Well, it wasn't a lie, but still… _

_Man that was embarrassing!_

_But Neji just stared at her, emotionless. "Fine," he said after long pause. "But if you do something, TenTen…"_

"_Trust me, just trust me!" she replied, smiling. God, why didn't she think about that before? Neji liked her, he had a crush on her, and saying something like _I love you_ could make him give her anything she asked for!_

"_Okay, sit down and just relax," TenTen instructed and he obeyed. She was so lucky to be in Kakashi's class with him; the teacher was always 20 minutes late, so the students had time to talk and do the homework before he arrived to the classroom. TenTen had the perfect time to complete her mission._

_TenTen put her hands on his head and started 'massaging'. Actually, she had no idea what she was doing, she was just improvising. But she felt Neji's tense body relaxing, and she realized that she was actually pretty good at that. _

_Discreetly, she took the scissors she 'casually' left on the desk next to her and cut a short lock of Neji's long and brown hair. When she put it in her pocket, she stopped massaging and poked Neji's shoulder. "Okay, it's ready. Thank you so much, Neji!" she said and then ran away._

_**End of flashback**_

"Well, who would've guessed someone could actually fool The Neji Hyuga…" Sakura murmured.

"Yeah, I guess he really, _really_ likes you to let his guard down, TenTen," Hinata commented, and said girl just blushed.

"My mission was very hard to do, too," Sakura started, "Sasuke is _troublesome_, as Shikamaru would say. But somehow, I completed my mission, and I can't believe I am still alive…"

_**Flashback**_

_Sakura was walking towards the high school's huge garden. She was going to meet her friends under a tree for lunch, but first, she needed to do some business. _

_Her heart skipped a few beats when she spotted a dark haired boy with a red haired girl sitting on a bench under a beautiful cherry blossom tree. They were Sasuke and Karin; Sakura knew it even before she got closer and could see them better._

_Everyone knew Sasuke Uchiha was the most popular boy in the school, because of his looks, of course. Now that he had a girlfriend, said girl needed to be overprotective with him, because there were a lot of bitches- ahem_, girls_ competing with her for Sasuke's heart. Sakura wasn't one of them, although she liked him too, but she wasn't quite sure if they were actually fighting for his heart like her. They just wanted a hot boyfriend like him, and she knew that Sasuke knew that too (he wasn't _that_ stupid) so she couldn't stop wondering: why was Karin, the major bitch- ahem,_ fangirl_, his girlfriend? Did they really _love_ each other?_

_Sasuke and Karin were alone, luckily. She had her nasty arms around his neck and was whispering something in his ear with a seductive smirk. Sasuke's face seemed emotionless, but knowing the Uchiha as Sakura did, he was actually tired and annoyed. That confused Sakura even more. Why was he annoyed being with his _beloved _girlfriend?_

_Sakura glanced at her watch and realized it was almost time. She was hiding behind some bushes, just waiting for the moment to attack. Suddenly, she heard some female's voices, and Karin stood up, alert. _Finally_, Sakura thought with a smirk._

"_HERE THEY ARE!" one of the female's voices yelled. Sakura heard footsteps, a lot of footsteps, coming closer. Karin's expression was of pure horror and fury at the same time. Sasuke wasn't affected; he seemed more relaxed, actually. Soon, Sakura saw a group of girls walking towards Sasuke and Karin._

"_Oh Sasuke!" they squealed. Yes, they were handsome boys' worst nightmare: _fangirls_._

_DUN, DUN, DUN!_

"_What the hell are you doing here?" Karin demanded. It was ironic how she used to be one of them before being Sasuke's girlfriend, and now she was talking to her old friends as if they were nothing but some annoying bugs._

"_Oh, Karin, don't be so rude towards us! We were friends, remember?" one of the girls said. Sakura guessed it was Karin's replacement, the new herd's leader. "Besides, we're just here to say hello to our- I mean, to Sasuke, right girls?" _

_The herd agreed. Karin was fuming and glaring daggers at them. "It had been the same thing during the whole week," Karin said. "I am always searching for new places where I can have some privacy with _my_ boyfriend, because you're always after him! I'm tired of it, he's _mine_, don't you get it?"_

"_Dear Karin," the leader said, and Sakura realized she had the same hypocrite attitude as Karin, "I think we shouldn't be talking about this with Sasuke here…"_

"_Fine!" Karin barked. "Then why don't we go to a private place to talk about it?"_

"_I think that's a great idea," the leader agreed for all of them. _

_Karin smiled a fake smile at her and then turned to Sasuke. "Baby, you stay here. I need to talk to the girls, okay? But don't worry, my love, I'll protect you!" she kissed his forehead and then she left with the fangirls. _

_Sakura watched as Sasuke sighed and lay down on the bench, ready to take a nap. She could guess he was thinking about how annoying women were. When she made sure the bitches were nowhere to be seen, she stepped out from her hideout and walked towards him. She felt her heart beating faster, but tried to calm it down._

_Sasuke's eyes were closed, and he opened them when a shadow above him blocked the sunlight. "Sakura?" he asked, surprised to see her there. He sat down, rubbing his eyes (Karin really made him tired) and Sakura sat down next t him. "What are you doing here?"_

_Sakura smiled. "I was on my way to meet with my friends some place near here, but I heard all the noise coming from here and saw the girls leaving without you. I guess I thought you needed company."_

"_Actually, I didn't," he said. "I didn't sleep well last night, and I wanted to take a nap." Sakura was about to apologize, but then he suddenly smirked. "But it's been a long time since the last time we talked."_

"_Yeah, I guess so." Sakura looked down to hide her blush; she loved when Sasuke smirked like that. But she needed to control herself; she had a mission to complete. "Perhaps you were too busy with your new girlfriend." She looked up, and saw him raising an eyebrow at her. "Sasuke, why didn't you tell me that you were into Karin before? We are friends, aren't we? "_

"_Yes, we are, Sakura." He looked away. "It's not like I don't trust you, but... I don't know; it just… happened."_

_They didn't say a word for a few moments. Suddenly, Sakura decided to break the silence. "Why her, Sasuke?" Sasuke turned to her, looking confused. She repeated the question, louder this time. "Why did you choose her? Do you… do you love her, Sasuke?"_

_He didn't respond for a moment. Sakura was ready to stand up and leave when he suddenly said, "No, I don't." She felt hopes building inside her. But then he turned and looked her in the eye. "But you wouldn't understand if I told why I am with her… I'm sorry."_

_Sakura felt her eyes watering, but blinked the tears away. What he said meant he wasn't going to tell her the reason and that he wouldn't break up with Karin any time soon. But she wouldn't cry in front of him, even if he crushed her hopes. She had to be strong. He was going to regret, like her friends told her; no matter how much she loved him, he needed to realize his mistake by his own. Besides, maybe the love spell could open his eyes and make him realize before it was too late._

_Suddenly, they heard footsteps and female's voices. The fangirls were back. Sakura remembered her plan and froze in her place. Crap, she hadn't cut his hair yet! She needed more time!_

_Karin was the first one she spotted; the others were following behind. When Karin saw Sakura (sitting next to her Sasuke, _alone_, inches away, too comfortable) she froze, and the others imitated her._

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, HARUNO?" Karin screamed at the top of her lungs, and, surprisingly, she seemed angrier with her than with the fangirls before. Sakura felt kind of proud._

"_Oh, nothing Karin, we were just talking, right Sasuke-dear?" Sakura spoke with a calm voice, trying hard not to laugh. When she called Sasuke Sasuke-dear, she leaned an inch closer to him. She knew Karin knew she liked Sasuke too, and doing that she was provoking her. Sasuke sighed with annoyance, knowing Sakura was just messing with Karin to have some fun, but didn't say anything._

"_GET AWAY FROM HIM!" This time the fangirls attacked. They ran towards Sasuke and Sakura, like a stampede, and almost crushed them. With all the girls over Sasuke and her, Sakura managed to take the scissors out of her pocket and cut a dark lock of Sasuke's hair. She did it on time, just before someone pushed her out of there. _

"_GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" It was Sasuke's voice. Everyone froze, hearing the fury in his voice. The fangirls stepped back, slowly and carefully, and even Sakura flinched. Sasuke stood up and fixed his clothes (pervert fangirls- _ahem_). He gave them his best glare and then stomped away._

"_Sasuke, my love! Wait for me, please!" Karin followed him. The fangirls were distracted, so Sakura took the opportunity to run away from there, putting Sasuke's hair into her pocket. _

_**End of flashback**_

"Crazy bitches…" Ino murmured.

"I know. I'm glad I could escape." Sakura sighed. "Anyways… What about Naruto, Hinata? I'm curious to know about your method."

"Well, actually, it was easy," Hinata responded. "I love him and everything, but, he's really an idiot…"

_**Flashback**_

_It was Biology class, with Orochimaru. The freak- ahem, _teacher_, was too distracted explaining the photosynthesis to notice certain blond sleeping on his desk. Hinata was the only one that noticed it. Actually, it was impossible for her not to, because she was right next to him and he was snoring kind of loudly. _

_She stared at the boy resting his head on the desk. Even sleeping, snoring and drooling, Naruto was beautiful for her. But she couldn't get distracted; she had a mission. Even if she didn't like the idea, she wanted to do it, just for curiosity. _

_Hinata took the scissors out of her backpack, keeping an eye on the teacher. Then, she leaned closer to Naruto, as discreetly as she could, and cut some of his hair. Suddenly, Naruto stopped snoring and moved a little. Hinata's heart skipped a beat and she froze in place. She realized he was waking up and she reacted just in time before he turned to her, putting the scissors and the hair behind her back. _

_Naruto stared at her sleepily. He blinked his blue eyes and grinned when he remembered where he was. "I'm sorry, I fell asleep. What did I miss?" he asked her. _

_Hinata blushed. "N-Nothing, actually; you-you're lucky the teacher Orochimaru didn't notice-"_

"_HYUUGA! UZUMAKI!"" Hinata and Naruto froze in place. The teacher was glaring at them. "If you don't mind, I'm teaching in here."_

"_W-We are sorry, teacher." Hinata looked down, ashamed._

_The teacher gave them a warning look and continued his class. "Crazy pervert," Naruto murmured and Hinata giggled. Well, at least she did it, and it wasn't that hard._

_**End of flashback**_

"Man, you were lucky you caught him sleeping," Sakura laughed.

"Yeah, I'm lucky I love an idiot, I guess," Hinata said, smiling.

"Okay, okay, it's my turn to tell my history…" Ino started enthusiastically.

_**Flashback**_

"_Wow, you're amazing!" Ino exclaimed, watching Sai's hand drawing on the piece of paper so gracefully it seemed like it was dancing. He was drawing a girl, and it was actually a good drawing, even though it looked so simple. Ino really admired Sai's skill to draw, and envied him a little._

"_Thank you." Sai smiled a sheepish little smile at her. Ino felt her cheeks burning slightly; that happened every time he looked at her. _

_Man, it seemed like she _really_ liked him! That's why she needed to do the love spell; she really wanted him to like her as much as she liked him._

_Sai's hair was straight and as black as the night. If Ino distracted him, she could have the opportunity to cut some of it without him noticing. _But it would be just too problematic for me_, Ino thought. She was thinking just like the lazy of her ex-boyfriend, but she knew that it was normal, because she used to spend a lot of time with him and the laziness was contagious. _

_Suddenly, she had an idea. "Hey, Sai?" she said, and said boy nodded his head, telling her he was listening even though he continued drawing. "Would you let me cut a lock of your hair?"_

_The question caught him off guard. It had been the most random and unexpected thing ever, Ino knew it, but by now Sai should know Ino wasn't exactly the most normal person in the world. And it seemed like he did, because he shrugged. "Sure, why not," he said, and then he continued drawing. "But may I know why?" _

"_I don't know, I just wanna have something yours to remember you," Ino said, saying the first thing that came to her mind. "And, um, you're a really good friend! I want to remember you always."_

"_Wow, thank you so much, Ino, you're a good friend too!" Sai couldn't help but smile. Why wouldn't he? He had made a friend! A very pretty friend, in fact. "Go ahead, cut some of my hair."_

_Ino smiled happily and took her scissors. _Wow, that was easy_._

_**End of flashback**_

"Oh God, please tell me you're kidding," TenTen said, gaping at her blonde friend.

"I'm not, he's actually a nice person," Ino said proudly.

"Well, we couldn't have done the same thing with our boys," Sakura said and then shrugged. "They're different from Sai."

"Ah, yes, that's why I love him…" Ino sighed, getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Hey, girls, I'm worried about Temari," Hinata confessed. "Lunch time is almost-"

"HEY, OVER HERE!"

The four girls turned to the cafeteria's entrance. Temari was walking towards them, with a wide smile on her face. "Did you miss me?" she asked, winking at them.

"So you did it?" Sakura asked with curiosity as Temari sat next to Ino.

Temari sighed. "Yeah, and I think he noticed…"

_**Flashback**_

_Temari knew Shikamaru was going to be there, lying on the grass and watching the clouds pass by. She called him 'cloud freak' sometimes because he was obsessed with them. His hobby was kind of boring, but she had to accept that it was actually very relaxing and romantic- ahem, _boring_, yes, _very _boring._

_She started walking towards him. There was no one else around, luckily, so there wouldn't be any witnesses. But then, when she was close enough to him to see his face, she noticed he wasn't sleeping. She cursed her luck; now it was going to be more difficult to cut his hair!_

"_Hey, Nara," she greeted, sitting down next to him._

"_I wonder what Gaara's older sister is doing here with me," Shikamaru murmured, not even looking at her. Temari hated when people didn't give her the attention she wanted. She punched Shikamaru in the arm._

"_Ow! Tomboy!" he complained. _

"_Pussy!" she replied. "But well, answering your question, I'm interrupting your peace, of course. Can't you see it?"_

"_Why thank you, genius." Shikamaru scoffed. "But what I want to know is: why?"_

"_Because I want to," Temari said, smiling happily, "_and _because_ _I'm bored… Oh, by the way, my name is Temari, darling, not 'Gaara's older sister'!"_

"_Yeah, whatever," Shikamaru murmured. After that, he didn't say anything else to her, and although Temari was annoyed with him because she hated to be ignored, she knew she had to take the opportunity._

_She took the scissors out of her pocket and cut a short lock of Shikamaru's ponytail. He felt something in his hair moving and saw Temari moving out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to her and saw she was holding the scissor in one hand and some brown hair in the other hand. Shikamaru processed the information for a couple of seconds, and then his eyes widened. _

"_You do not just-!"_

_Temari didn't let him finish. She stood up, smiling, and left before he could react. Mission complete._

_**End of flashback**_

"Yeah, that was fun…" Temari sighed, smiling.

Suddenly, the bell rang, indicating the students to walk to their next class. The girls stood up and took their things, getting ready to leave.

"Okay girls, give me you locks," Sakura said, extending her hands. Her friends put the napkins and plastic bags where they had put their locks in her hands and Sakura put them in her backpack.

"So, let's repeat it," Sakura started. "We'll meet this afternoon, right before the sun goes down, in the forest near TenTen's house, next to the lake's bridge. I will bring the ingredients I collected and everything you collected for me and gave me yesterday. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," the other girls said at the same time, nodding.

"Okay then." Sakura took a deep breath. "Prepare yourselves to be loved by the man of your dreams."

* * *

Notes: Chapter edited because it used to have a lot of grammar mistakes. What do you think about it now? :)


	3. It worked

Disclaimer: Not mine, dude.

* * *

**_Chapter three_**

_It worked_

The car turned to the right and abandoned the asphalt path to ride over the dead-leaves covered dirt path. Then, it turned to the right and moved past the tall trees. It finally slowed down when the people in it could see the lake. It slowed down until it stopped, and Temari turned the engine of her old car off and turned to the girl sitting on the co-driver seat.

Sakura was staring at the trees above them and seemed very anxious. Temari didn't blame her, she was nervous too, so she waited a few minutes before Sakura finally turned to her and smiled. "Thanks again for helping me, Temari," she said sincerely.

Temari had offered Sakura to take her to their meeting place with the other girls. Sakura had to accept because she needed a car to carry the stuff they needed for the spell and her parents couldn't take her.

"I'm the one who is grateful, Sakura," the seventeen years old blonde girl replied, smiling back. "This thing was your idea, after all."

"Oh…" Sakura's smile disappeared suddenly. She looked down and seemed sad. Temari's own smile faded too, and she started wondering if she had said something wrong. "Yeah… I guess you really have faith in me," Sakura continued.

Temari discovered the hidden message in those words instantly, and she frowned. "Sakura, if you are worried because you think that if the spell fails we'll blame you, let me tell you that that you're wrong." Sakura looked up to her, with slightly widened eyes. Temari continued, "This whole thing… it's just a game, isn't it? I mean, because if it works, then it'd be awesome, but if it doesn't, then _whatever_! We would never stop being friends because of a silly game, would we?"

The way Temari was looking at her and the things she had said made Sakura feel better. "Yeah… it's just a game," she repeated. "This is not a big deal… it's just… a silly game!"

"Exactly." Temari smiled triumphantly. "Now, we have things to do, Miss Haruno, so let's get moving."

Sakura nodded and they got out of the car. _It's just a game… nothing serious_, she repeated in her head, wanting to believe it even more. They walked to the back of the car, their feet making crushing noises as they walked over the dead leaves on the ground, and Temari opened the boot. Sakura took a large box out. The boot was closed again, and then the friends started walking towards the lake.

Sakura saw two familiar people standing in the lake's bridge as she and Temari approximated their meeting place. One of them was pale and had long, dark blue hair, and the other was taller and had her brown hair tied in two buns.

Hinata and TenTen waved at them when they saw her two other friends walking towards them. They stepped out of the bridge and started walking towards them, too. The four of them stopped, face to face, a couple meters away from the lake's shore.

"Ha! I'm more punctual than the great Haruno Sakura! How's that!" TenTen exclaimed proudly, crossing her arms over her chest. Sakura just smiled at her.

"Hi guys," Hinata greeted.

"Hi!" Temari exclaimed. "Are you guys excited?"

"Of course I am! I can't wait!" was TenTen's response.

"I'm…eager, I guess," Hinata said after a moment of hesitation.

"Anyways, where's Ino?" Sakura asked, kneeling down and putting the box on the ground (ugh, it was heavy).

"I don't know. Hinata and I arrived together just a couple minutes ago and there was no one here." TenTen shrugged. "Maybes she's just late; you know how she is..."

"That's weird... She seemed so excited today at lunch time when she got Sai's hair…" Hinata murmured, and then looked down to Sakura. "Should we wait a little more for her?"

Sakura raised her head to the sky. The twilight adorned it with its dark mystic colors and she could see the blurry shape of the silver full moon already. She calculated it was around seven pm, just the hour they accorded.

Where the hell was Ino? Sakura was so eager to do the spell, but Ino wanted to torture her, of course. However, she would never start without her.

"She wouldn't miss this… and I guess we have time, so we'll wait a little more," Sakura decided, and then she looked down at the box she was already opening. "But we should start preparing everything."

TenTen, Temari and Hinata watched with curiosity as the pink haired girl took five big crystal jars out of the big box. "What can we do to help, Sakura?" TenTen asked.

Sakura smiled, feeling glad her friends wouldn't let her do everything by herself even though she was the only one who knew what she was doing, as she continued taking more things out of the box. She turned to Temari and handed her a red container. "You make a circle around us, a big one," Sakura ordered.

Temari looked at the container and realized it was salt. She frowned, wondering why the hell they needed that, but obeyed her. "It's to make the magic stronger," Sakura explained, answering her mental question. "My aunt told me that salt was like barrier that didn't let anything come in or out, and that it let the power concentrate in one single place."

Sakura then turned to TenTen. "TenTen, fill the jars with water from the lake. Calculate five liters into them." TenTen nodded enthusiastically, took two jars, and then walked towards the shore. When she was done with the salt, Temari helped her with the rest of the jars.

"And what do I do, Sakura?" Hinata asked eagerly. Sakura turned to her and put a finger in her chin, thinking.

"Oh, I know!" she announced. "I have a special thing for you, Hinata. You'll help me with the candle!" Hinata raised an eyebrow, wanting to know why the hell they needed that. Sakura took a big wax candle and a lighter out of the box and handed them to Hinata. "My aunt gave me this candle," she said, as Hinata reached for them. "She said that this kind of candles makes magic and concentration stronger. These are just extra tips my aunt gave me. I want it to work, so I'm using them."

Hinata nodded and kneeled down, right in front of Sakura. She put the candle on a plate Sakura had put right in the middle of the big salt circle Temari had made. She looked up to Sakura, asking with her eyes what to do next, and her friend jerked her chin towards the lighter in her left hand. Hinata took a deep breath and lighted the wax candle. Soon, they were illuminated by the dim light of the candle.

TenTen and Temari walked towards them, holding two crystal jars full of water each one, and they looked at the candle illuminating them with confusion. "It's a special candle to make magic and concentration stronger that Sakura's aunt gave her for this," Hinata explained. She turned to Sakura. "I guess it's also to have some light, right?" Sakura smirked and nodded at the question, thinking they couldn't have not brought one, unless they wanted to do the spell surrounded by darkness, because the sun had already set by now.

"Look, it got dark already," Temari said, realizing too. She looked down at her friends. "I think we can start now, the moon is in its perfect position."

The other girls threw their heads back and stared at the beautiful full moon in the sky. It seemed so big tonight. Its silver color was very bright and it seemed that they didn't exactly need the candle, because the moon illuminated pretty well. "So beautiful…" TenTen murmured, staring at the moon dreamily. She sighed and looked down at Sakura, frowning. "Where the hell is Ino? I'm gonna kill that-!"

"That what, TenTen?" a familiar voice said. Everyone turned to where they heard the voice coming from, and saw a blonde girl walking to them from the same place Temari and Sakura arrived. "Don't worry, TenTen, I'm already here!" Ino said, smirking.

"You're late, Ino," Sakura said sternly as her best friend sat next to Hinata. "May we know why?"

"Yeah, of course," Ino said casually, running a hand trough her long ponytail."My dad didn't want to lend me his car, because mine is at the repair shop. I planned to steal his keys while he was taking his nap, but today he fell asleep later than usual so I had to wait." She didn't seem worried at all, but her friends weren't surprised, because they knew that Ino was carefree like that.

Sakura sighed. "Okay then, but you will have to fill your own jar with water, calculating 5 liters into it."

"That's unfair!" Ino whined. Sakura looked at her with seriousness, and after a moment, Ino gave up. She stood up, took the last empty jar from the big box next to Sakura, and walked towards the lake to fill it.

"Okay, now it's time," Sakura announced nervously, and motioned Temari and TenTen to sit on the ground. She started putting the five containers around the wax candle in the middle. Ino was walking towards them already, with the crystal jar full of water in her hands. She sat between Sakura and Temari, and now the five girls were sitting inside the salt circle, around the candle.

"Follow my instructions," Sakura said, taking the last ingredient out of the box: the boys' locks. She handed her friends their locks and kept Sasuke's hair for her own. She pulled one of the crystal jars closer, putting it right on front of her, and the other girls did the same. "Firstly," she started, "we put the rose petals."

Sakura took one of the containers that she put around the candle and opened it to take some of the white rose petals Ino donated from her mom's flower shop. She counted twelve petals and then passed the container to the other girls. They did the same and Hinata, the last one, put the container back on the ground. Sakura waited and then threw the petals into the jar. Her four friends imitated her and the twelve petals in each jar floated lazily on the water.

"Secondly," Sakura continued, taking another container, "we put the feather." She opened the container and took five yellow feathers out. She gave one to each of her friends and they put them into their jars.

"I hope my aunt's bird didn't mind," TenTen said, remembering the yellow bird she plucked for this.

"I'm sure it didn't," Sakura said, smiling.

They continued putting the ingredients in their jars. They put the sand (a cup), the rock from the cemetery Temari voluntarily brought (two per jar), the forks made of silver Hinata took from her house (one per jar), some of their perfumes (five drops), a picture of them, the boy's locks and, finally, a drop of their own blood.

"This was my least favorite part," Hinata murmured, sucking the blood in her thumb.

"Don't be a baby, Hinata," Ino said, rolling her blue eyes. "It's just a little cut." But she was sucking her thumb too, and making a face that let the fact that she hadn't liked it either obvious.

"We're done, girls," Sakura suddenly said, giving a wood spoon to each one of them. "Now it's time to mix it! And I hope you learned the spell."

"Of course we did! That's the most important part," TenTen said, submerging the spoon into herjar.

"Okay, then we'll say it together." Sakura took a deep breath, suddenly feeling her body heavier. She ignored that feeling and counted: "One, two… three!"

"With the power of my love and the presence of the moon, the man I love will love me back and my dream will come true," the five girls said in unison while doing circles in the water with their spoons to mix the ingredients in their jars.

Suddenly, a pink lightning illuminated the sky for a second. The girls froze and looked up. "What the hell was that?" Temari murmured.

"I didn't know there was going to be a storm tonight," Hinata said, confused.

"Was it just me or that lightning was freaking pink?" Ino asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, it was pink. Freaking _pink_," TenTen said, and she looked so panicked Sakura expected her to jump up and run away.

"Maybe it was us," Sakura said with eyes full of joy. The other girls looked down to her with surprise. "Maybe… it's the spell working," she continued. "We have to continue mixing, girls. Don't stop!"

The girls nodded and continued mixing the ingredients in their jars. Sakura felt her heart beating faster as she saw another pink lightning illuminating the sky again. However, they didn't stop this time, and suddenly, they felt the ground under them shaking.

"It's an earthquake!" Hinata screamed as they all stood up.

"This can't be a coincidence!" Ino realized, trying not to lose her balance.

"Girls, look!" Temari exclaimed, staring at something in the ground with wide eyes. The other girls followed her gaze and saw the water in the jars turning bright pink. It kept turning brighter and brighter, and the light almost blinded them, so they had to cover their eyes with their hands. The floor continued to shake under their feet.

"What the hell is this?" Ino screamed, panicking. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Sakura said, and she was smiling. "It's working, the spell is working!"

Finally, the pink light coming from the jars was too bright to bear, and the girls closed their eyes tightly to protect them. After that, they didn't feel, hear or see anything else. They just fell into the darkness.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes tiredly. A beeping sound was contaminating her ears and she couldn't stand it anymore. She stretched her left arm and turned the annoying alarm clock off. She glanced at it once and then closed her eyes again, groaning and pulling the covers over her head. _God, it's just 7.45_, she thought.

It took three seconds for her to remember that it was Monday and school started at 8 o'clock.

Fortunately, Sakura hurried up and she arrived two minutes before the bell rang. Her first class was Math, and Hinata and Ino were there too. That was good, because she really needed to talk to them about last Friday. She just remembered she had woken up on her bed Saturday morning, but the memories before that were blurry.

But there was something else was disturbing her even more. She didn't know if the spell had worked yet; of course, they made magic that night, because there was no other explanation to the events that occurred. But…would the boys really fall in love with them? Sakura felt uncertain, but also excited, and very, very anxious.

And what if it did work? To be Sasuke's girlfriend would be everything Sakura ever wished for. There would be finally a happy ending for her, something she had never had before. But what if it didn't work? Well, she would never give up on magic, anyways. It would be just a failed spell; maybe they had done something wrong. Everything and everyone deserves a second chance. Besides, like Temari said, it was just a game, right? There was nothing to regret.

Sakura entered her homeroom. Kakashi was her teacher, but he was always twenty minutes late. He wasn't there yet, so she was glad that she had time to talk to Ino and Hinata. She spotted them in a corner at the back of the classroom, and she ran towards them without thinking twice.

"Sakura!" Hinata exclaimed when she saw her.

Ino turned to her and smiled. "Hey, forehead," she greeted, and Sakura smiled back.

"Hey, girls," Sakura leaned closer for them to hear her whispering. "We need to talk about last Friday."

"Yeah," Ino said, also whispering. "Listen, Sakura, I don't remember _anything_, dude. I just woke up on my bed the next morning, feeling a little dizzy, but I don't know how the hell I arrived to my house! Hinata doesn't remember either. What about you? Can you explain us what happened?"

"Oh my god…" the pink haired girl sighed. "That's exactly what I was going to ask you! I don't remember what happened to us, and my memories are blurry!"

"Perhaps we fainted," Hinata murmured.

"Yeah? Well, how the hell did we drive home then?" Ino questioned.

"We woke up later… but we can't remember," Hinata continued.

"Doing magic can make you weak and tired," Sakura said, remembering one of her aunt's lessons about magic. "Maybe Hinata's right. Maybe we woke up and tiredly drove home and then we just slept until morning. I remember I was wearing the same clothes when I woke up that morning…"

"I guess that could be." Ino sighed. "It makes sense."

"But…" Hinata turned to Sakura with a worried expression. "Did… did it work?"

Sakura stopped breathing. Did it? Did Sasuke fall in love with her? She had to find out. She needed to find him… and she knew where he was.

Sakura turned around and searched for the unique hairstyle of her crush among the students in the classroom. When she saw him, her heart skipped a beat. "Sakura, what are you doing?" she heard Ino asking, confused, but she ignored her and just ran towards him.

She was breathing heavily and her sight was a little blurry, but she forgot about everything and everyone and just walked. He was getting closer and closer, and when she stopped, with his back just inches away from her, she froze. She didn't know what to say. "Hey, I want to know if the spell I made worked, so are you in love with me?" wasn't something she planned to say. But before she could think of something else, he turned around, and Sakura's heart froze.

"Sakura?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow. He seemed… himself. He wasn't looking at her with sweetness, he wasn't acting with nervousness. He was just… surprised.

"Hi Sasuke," Sakura managed to say. She felt disappointed, and all of her hopes died right then. So… maybe they did something wrong. Maybe they could try it again. Or maybe… maybe she had to give up. Maybe this whole thing was sing to let her know she was losing her time. Maybe…

Sasuke hesitated a little and then asked, "Um… how are you?"

"I'm fine…" she lied. She wasn't fine, she was terrible. He wasn't in love with her, and she was very stupid to think he would leave Karin to be with her. But he couldn't know that. "And you?"

He shrugged and looked away. "I have been better."

Sakura blinked. "Why? What happened?"

"I broke up with Karin."

_WHAAAT!_

"She's being a bitch towards me now. She's so annoying…." Sasuke sighed tiredly.

"B-But why?" Sakura couldn't hide her shock. "Why did you do that?"

_And does this mean the spell did work…?_

"I guess… I guess I realized she is not the one," he replied, and the look on his face was so out-of-character that Sakura almost thought he wasn't Sasuke Uchiha anymore. His eyes were finally saying something, they weren't blank and emotionless as always, and they were showing nothing but… love?

Oh God, she _so_ hoped she wasn't hallucinating.

"Oh," Sakura's voice finally came out. "I see…"

Sasuke smirked, the same smirk he gave her when they talked the day she cut his hair, but Sakura didn't melt this time because she was too shocked to do it. They stared at each other for a moment that seemed like an eternity for her, but they came back to reality when they heard their teacher's voice. "Okay, everyone, sorry I'm late. Please take your seats."

Sasuke looked at the teacher and then at Sakura. He smirked again and this time, she realized how close they were from each other (so close that she could feel his body heat) and she blushed slightly. "See you later," he said as he turned around and walked towards his seat. Sakura felt the urge to beg him to stay with her for a little bit more, but instead she turned around and walked towards her seat.

Gosh, the teacher couldn't have been more inopportune.

Sakura sat next to Hinata and she gave her a what-the-hell-happened look. Sakura sighed, smiled dreamily, and shrugged. Hinata eyed her suspiciously, but didn't insist. After that, Sakura tried to pay attention to the class, but she couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke.

During lunch time, the five girls met at the school's garden. They had to share their experiences with the boys. Sakura already knew the spell worked, but she let her friends find out by themselves. TenTen was the last one to arrive to their meeting place, and when she did it, she did it in an uncharacteristic way: she was jumping and smiling and waving her arms in the air.

"HOLY CRAP!" she was screaming. "GUESS WHAT!"

"Neji asked you to be his girl-?" Ino started to say, but TenTen interrupted.

"YES! HE DID! I SAID YES! WE ARE!"

"OH MY GOD!" the other girls exclaimed happily and they all hugged TenTen.

"It worked, girls! The spell worked!" Temari said. "They are falling for us! Today, Shikamaru walked up to me and asked me if I wanted to go to his house this afternoon. He said he had a new game he wanted to play with me, but he seemed weird, and I know the new game is you're an excuse! Because he likes me, he just realized, and now he just wanna spend time with me!"

"Oh God!" Ino exclaimed. "And also, today in my art class Sai offered himself to help me with my drawing. He said he wanted to me to go to this house so he could give me lessons, and he had been sitting so freaking close to me, and he had been playing with my hair, and the way he had been looking at me, and - oh god, he totally likes me!"

"You see? We made magic!" Hinata exclaimed. "I really didn't have so many hopes but it actually worked! I'm so happy, because Naruto asked me to be his partner in almost three classes, and that was really weird, because one of them was P.E. and you all know I suck at sports, but he actually wanted to be with me!"

"That is great!" Sakura smile grew wider (if that was possible). She was very happy because her friends happy, and also because the spell worked with her too. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you! Sasuke broke up with Karin!"

"OH MY GOD!" her friends exclaimed and they all hugged her this time.

"That's awesome!" Temari said.

"Finally, the bitch is out of the game!" Ino said proudly.

"I know!" Sakura continued. "It's great! And he told me it was because he realized she wasn't the one, and then he looked at me in a weird way, and I believe it was sweetness, or love, or something cute! And that was so out-of-character for him! Can you guess what it means?"

"AHH!" they all squealed, acting like the fangirls when they saw Sasuke.

"It… it's just…." Ino gasped, out of breath because of squealing so much, "Too good to be true! Magic does exist!"

"I knew it!" Temari clapped her hands and turned to Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura; without you, none of this would've happened!"

"Thanks girls," Sakura said as everyone hugged her again.

It was just too good to be true, like Ino said. Everything seemed to be getting better in their lives, because now the boys they loved felt the same way about them. It was just a matter of time before they would be their girlfriends (except for TenTen, she already was Neji's) and the happiest girls in the world. They couldn't be prouder, and they thought nothing could go wrong now…

But shit happens.

* * *

Notes: Edited chapter number three. :D


	4. We're all in this together

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. :3 Oh, and by the way, FAIRIES ROCK, but my OC is a biatch. :D

Disclaimer: I'm just a fan tryin' to write somethin' cool. 8D

* * *

**_Chapter four_**

_We're all in this together_

"GOOOO, KYUBBIS!" the cheerleaders exclaimed. They shook their red pompoms in the air and danced following the rhythm of the loud music, cheering their local soccer team, the Konoha Kyubbis. They were playing against the Suna Lions, and it was a tie. They just had 2 minutes left for the game, and they needed to make a goal to win.

The people sitting on the bleachers were very nervous, especially Sakura, Hinata, TenTen and Temari. Their boyfriends were playing and they didn't want them to lose. "Oh, God, I hope they win…" TenTen murmured, biting her lower lip nervously.

Sakura took a deep breath. "They will," she said, "I have faith in them."

Meanwhile, Ino, the cheerleaders' captain, was trying to do her best at cheering. But she was very nervous and worried, because her boyfriend was also in the team. _C'mon…just one more goal,_ she thought, dancing with fake enthusiasm.

Suddenly, a guy from the visitor team kicked the football and tried to make it enter the goal. Neji, the goalkeeper, stopped the ball at time. "Awesome, Neji!" TenTen exclaimed, excited for her boyfriend's success. The audience cheered too.

Neji kicked the football hard and passed it to Shikamaru. The scoreboard announced that they had just fifty seven seconds before the game ended. Shikamaru ran, playing the football with his feet, and outwitted the boys from the other team. Suddenly, one of them made him trip and Shikamaru fell to the ground. "Oh, no!" Temari gasped in horror.

The referee blew his whistle and stopped the game. "Are you okay, son?" he asked Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was sitting on the ground, groaning. "I think I broke my ankle or something…" he replied. The referee nodded and punished the other team's foul with an indirect free kick. Naruto, the captain, let Sasuke do it.

Sasuke kicked the football and sent it directly to Naruto. "Good job, Sasuke!" Sakura cheered, feeling proud of her boyfriend. He was such a good shot!

Naruto played the football expertly. He was the best player in the team and the captain, after all, and when he had the football everyone knew something good was going to happen to his team. "C'mon, Naruto, you can do it…" she whispered, knowing her boyfriend was an awesome player, but hoping everything would go well for him.

Naruto continued running to the opponent's goal, and suddenly a guy from the other team attacked him. Naruto managed to kick the football and pass it to Sai before he slipped with the mud and fell to the ground.

Sai was the player who was closer to the opponent's goal, and there was no one from the other team around to attack him. Naruto made a good job sending the football to him, and now it was all up to him. "Oh, God…" Ino froze when she realized her boyfriend was so close to make a goal.

And then, Sai kicked the football and everyone froze.

When the goalkeeper failed to catch the football and it entered the goal, the audience burst in applauses and cheers. The whole local team ran towards Sai and hugged him, and the cheerleaders started jumping around with joy and shaking their pompons harder.

"Sai!" Ino yelled, running towards the crown of the Konoha Lions celebrating their triumph. Said boy turned around right as his girlfriend wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Congratulations, baby!" she said.

Sai hugged her back slowly, a little surprised. "Thanks," he whispered sincerely.

The team ran towards their coach and celebrated their success with laughter and hugs. "I knew we could make it!" the coach, Maito Gai, exclaimed. "Now, where's the youthful player that made that youthful goal?"

Ino and Sai, standing a few meter away from them, heard him. "I think you should go," Ino said and she smiled at him.

"No. I think _we_ should go." Sai smirked, took her hand and, together, they walked towards the celebrating team.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was drinking water when he heard that familiar voice calling him. He turned around and saw her pink haired girlfriend running towards him. He smirked and opened his arms to catch her slim body. Sakura put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. She smiled happily and whispered, "You were awesome." Sasuke's arms hugged her waist tightly and he kissed her sweetly again.

"Get a room!" Naruto yelled to his friends. They ignored him and continued kissing. Naruto just chuckled; he had always known those two were going to end up together!

He turned around and searched for his girlfriend among the audience, but failed to find her. He turned around, sighing sadly, and then he saw the face he wanted to see right in front of him. "Hinata!" he exclaimed, but his smile suddenly faded and he looked down at his feet. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry. I was pathetic. I fell and I know I looked like an idiot but-"

"Naruto," his girlfriend interrupted him. He looked up to her and saw her smiling sweetly at him and blushing slightly. "I… I think you are amazing, no matter what, and… I'm proud of you."

Naruto's smile came back. "Wow… thanks, Hinata," he said, and a second later, he was kissing her. Hinata kissed him back and hugged him tightly. She loved when they were so close, she felt so safe. Naruto ran his hands through her long, dark blue hair, and she gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly.

"Now _you_ get a room, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, and Hinata giggled.

Naruto broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "That sounds like a good idea, you know?" Hinata frowned but couldn't hide her smile. She punched his arm and they laughed together.

Not too far from them, Shikamaru was sitting on the bench, drinking water, when he saw someone was walking towards him from the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw his girlfriend smiling at him. "I knew that Shikamaru plus football soccer equals disaster," she said, sitting next to him.

"I wish you would show how good you are at math in your exams," Shikamaru said, smirking.

Temari laughed, sat down next to him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

Shikamaru looked at her, then at his foot, and shrugged. "I'm use to it," he replied, moving his hand to hold hers.

"Oh, really?" Temari raised an eyebrow with disbelief. "I didn't know sleeping and watching clouds were such dangerous activities… Don't you remember that this is the first time you have something to do with a sport?"

"Hey, that's not true! I practiced snowboarding, you know?" Shikamaru said.

"Well I'm sorry, but I didn't know that. I guess now I know a little more about you, Shikamaru," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. Shikamaru didn't reply; he just gripped her hand tightly and smiled.

TenTen walked towards the goal where Neji was. He was sitting on the ground, taking his goalkeeper gloves off, and when she was standing in front of him, he looked up and smirked. She smiled back and kneeled down.

"Nice catch," she said. Neji's smirk widened and then he stood up slowly. When he was up, she offered a hand to his girlfriend and helped her up.

"You know? All the girls are hugging and kissing their boyfriends to congratulate them," TenTen started, still holding his hand. "Should I do the same?"

Neji thought for a moment. "Just if you want to, TenTen," he finally replied.

TenTen rolled her eyes and put her arms around his neck. "Of course I want to," she said. She kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Neji, can you do something for me?" she purred in his ear when they broke the kiss. Neji nodded. "Can you give me a piggyback ride, please?" Neji stared at her like if she had grown horns. She just stared innocently at him, and after a moment, Neji sighed and gave up.

Neji walked towards his team, with TenTen on his back. In that moment, they witnessed Naruto doing his proposal to everyone. "I say we should go to Ichiraku's to celebrate this!" he exclaimed, and the others clapped their hands and cheered, agreeing. "Okay, I need to go change my clothes and all that stuff, but we'll meet there at seven o'clock, okay?" Naruto asked, and they agreed once again. After all, Naruto was the captain, and they had chosen him for a reason: he was a cool leader.

As Naruto told everyone he knew the cooker and he could prepare a special victory ramen for them, Ino walked towards Sakura, wearing her yellow cheerleader uniform. "Forehead!" she called. "Are you going to Ichiraku's?"

"Of course I am!" Sakura replied, "Hey, you wanna go to my house to change and all of that?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Ino smiled, and then put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You read my mind, dude, that's why you're my best friend." Sakura just laughed at her.

They told Hinata, TenTen and Temari to come with them, and they agreed. They said good bye to their boyfriends, saying they were going to meet them in an hour at Ichiraku's (Naruto's favorite ramen bar), and left the high school's soccer field.

* * *

Temari had drove them to Sakura's house in her car. They had arrived and, after saying hello to Sakura's mom, had immediately ran upstairs to Sakura's bedroom. Luckily, they had brought a change, because they had expected to have a celebration party, so Sakura just lent them some makeup.

Forty five minutes later, they were in their way to Ichiraku's. A popular pop song was playing on the radio, and Ino and TenTen were singing along while Sakura texted Sasuke telling him they were on their way to the restaurant and Temari drove. Hinata was looking through the window, staring at the silver full moon up in the dark sky. "Hey, look, girls. It's full moon," she announced, and they all stopped doing what they were doing to look at the sky (except for Temari; she had to drive, so she just glanced briefly at it).

"Oh, yeah…" Sakura leaned closer to her window and stared at the moon. "Just like that night right?"

They all knew what night she meant. "I almost forgot about it, and it's only twenty eight days since then…" Temari murmured.

"Almost a month," Ino added from the co-driver seat. She thought for a moment and then added, "Wow, a lot of things have happened since that day. Our lives have kinda changed."

"And it's all because of the love spell…" TenTen said. "I wonder what would have happened if we wouldn't have done it..."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I don't want to even think about it. I just know I'm okay like this."

"Oh, but who wouldn't be okay with a genius boyfriend like yours who helps you with the school?" Ino joked.

Temari turned to her and glared. "Ino, you're getting on my nerves with that stupid joke, so-"

"WATCH OUT!" Sakura suddenly screamed. Everyone's eyes widened and they all turned to the road to see a person standing in the middle of it. Temari turned the steering wheel just in time before the car hit the person, and it almost crashed against a tree.

Temari turned the engine off and started breathing heavily. "What the hell was that?"

"Oh my God, are you guys alright?" TenTen looked around with wide eyes, checking on her friends. "Is someone hurt?"

"We're all fine, TenTen," Sakura replied. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down and straighten up. "Calm down," she added, but she said it more to herself than to her friend.

Hinata tried to speak but her mouth was too dry. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it would burst out of her chest. She was grasping the seat in front of her tightly and her body was shaking. "It was a person standing in the middle of the road," she managed to say, responding to Temari's question.

Ino gasped. "OH GOD, DID WE KILL SOMEONE?" she screamed.

"Ino, shut up!" Sakura told her. "Don't panic, please."

"We should go to see if she or he is okay," Temari decided. Her friends nodded their heads and they all got out of the car. Some of them were shaking, and the ones who weren't were clenching their jaws tightly to control themselves, but absolutely all of them were pale as ghosts.

There was a little girl, standing in the middle of the road, breathing heavily and shaking. Being about to be hit by a car must have affected her as much as almost killing someone and crashing against a tree affected the girls. She looked about eleven or twelve years old, and she had wavy dark hair and pale skin. When she noticed their presence, she stared at them with wide, shock-filled blue eyes.

"A little girl?" Ino murmured. The girl looked kind of lost, she realized; she was wearing jeans and a white dirty t-shirt.

"Hey, are you okay? Did we hurt you?" TenTen asked loudly, panicking. The girl stepped back and gulped, then nodded her head slowly.

"TenTen, you're scaring her!" Temari said. "Can't you see how scared she already is?"

"TenTen, calm down, we're all okay," Sakura said, and she put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "We were scared shitless, but it's over now." TenTen sighed and tried to obey her friend.

"Don't cuss in front of a kid, Sakura!" Hinata hissed, frowning at her pink haired friend.

"Are you…" the girl suddenly said, and they all turned to her. She took a deep breath and spoke louder. "Are you Sakura, TenTen, Ino, Temari and Hinata?"

The girls stared at her with wide eyes. "Yeah…" Ino responded slowly. "Who are you and how do you know our names?"

"And what the hell are you doing here, standing in the middle of the road, alone at this hour of the night? Where are your parents?" Temari asked. "You should be glad cars don't use to take this road and that I turned the steering wheel before I hit you."

"My name is Kim, and I was looking for you," she said, smiling cheerfully. She didn't look scared anymore, she looked… happy. The five girls shared a thought then: _This girl is freaking bipolar!_ "I'm glad I finally found you- well, actually, you found me!" she continued. "I got lost because I don't live here."

"But why were you looking for us?" Hinata asked, confused.

"I came for my pay! I'm the love fairy!" she responded, waiving her arms enthusiastically.

Ino burst out laughing. Hinata and Temari frowned at the bad joke. TenTen wondered of the girl was on drugs.

"Love…fairy?" Sakura repeated slowly, wondering the same thing as TenTen. "Your…pay?"

"Yes! Don't you remember, about the love spell?" When Kim said that, the five girls froze, but she continued, "I am the fairy that helped you with the request you made twenty eight days days ago. You wanted some men to fall in love with you. I used my love powder and make these guys…" she took a paper out of her pocket and read it, "Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and Neji… " Kim put the paper back into her pocket, "fall in love with you, and now I'm here for my pay!"

"Hold on, hold on," Temari was the first to talk, "you're saying that you are the _fairy_ that _helped _us with our spell and made our boyfriends fall in _love _with us and now you're here because we have to _pay_ you?" she repeated in disbelief, making it sound like the stupidest thing ever said, and, actually, it was.

"Yes, you got it!" Kim exclaimed happily.

"Okay, I must be freaking dreaming…" TenTen murmured, staring at the dark haired girl with wide eyes. "I definitely must…"

"I don't how you know all of this, but this has to be a joke," Sakura said, frowning. "I mean, my aunt told me about it, but I didn't believe it could be true. I thought she wanted to scare me…"

"Your aunt told you about _what_?" Ino asked Sakura.

"My aunt told me about a fairy doing the spell for us and coming back for her pay… but I thought she was kidding or something," Sakura responded. "I decided to forget it, and I didn't tell you guys because… I didn't believe it."

"Well, you'll have to believe it now," Kim interfered, "because I'm right here, and I want my pay!"

"But… how are we supposed to pay you?" Hinata asked. "Do you want our money?"

"Why would a fairy want money?" Ino wondered aloud.

"Maybe they need to buy their magic powder to Tinkerbell," TenTen said, and Ino and Temari snickered while the others tried to hide their smiles.

"No, I don't want your money!" Kim glared at them. "I want you to do me a favor. I want you to lend me your body, so I can be a human, just for a day. I just wanna… know how it feels like," Kim explained, looking at the ground like an angry kid who was about to cry.

"Aww…" TenTen said, her eyes softening at the girl. "This is so sad…" She then turned to her friends. "Maybe…maybe we should help her."

"You don't need to feel pity for me," Kim said, raising her head and glaring at them. "Because you _have_ to do it, anyways, or I'm gonna make your boyfriends stop loving you!"

"_WHAT_?" Sakura said and her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh yeah, I can do that," Kim said proudly, "Remember, this is my pay, and nothing's free in the magic world."

"You know? I almost thought you were nice," TenTen said, pouting. "But you're evil, and you're forcing us to something."

"I'm not!" Kim replied. "You can always say no, but only if you want to lose your boyfriends…"

"But we don't want that…" Hinata sighed sadly. "I guess we don't have another choice, girls."

"So you'll do it!" Kim smiled happily. "Okay, here are the rules. I'll come during the next five full-moon night, and you will lend me your body, one at a time. Your souls will leave your bodies and you'll be kinda like a ghost, but you'll stay in this world. You're going to be invisible to everyone except me, but any human will be able to hear and you'll also be able to move things. I'll live a day in your life, I'll learn about human feelings and then I'll be happy and I'll leave you alone. It's just for one day, and I can do whatever I want, but I'll be fair, okay? I won't do anything wrong, I just… I just want to make my dream come true. I'm not that mean…" She pouted. "Anyways, is that clear?"

"Yes," the girls said in unison, after hesitating for a moment.

"Good! We'll start next full-moon night, and the first one is going to be…." She made a pause, thinking for a second. "Hinata! Yes, Hinata." Hinata flinched but nodded slowly. "So prepare yourself! Oh, I have to go now, okay? Goodbye!"

In a blink of an eye, Kim disappeared. The girls looked around, trying to find out where she went, but didn't see anyone. "She's gone," Sakura said.

"That was random," Ino murmured.

Temari sighed and turned around. "Let's go, girls. We have a celebration party to attend." Her friends followed her to the car, and then they set off.

* * *

The girls didn't talk until Temari parked the car outside of Ichiraku's.

"Okay, listen up, girls," Sakura started. They were still in the car, and she had all of her friends' eyes on her. "We will have to do this. This crazy fairy can't take our boyfriends away from us; we're doing this for them, because we love them. It will be just one day, one single day, and then everything will be over."

"But Sakura," Ino started, with a worried expression on her face, "she doesn't know anything about our lives and our rules, and she's going to be us for twenty four hours! What if she says or does something wrong? She can screw our lives up!"

"Ino, calm down," Sakura ordered. "Do you love Sai?"

"Y-Yes, I do…" the blonde responded.

"So you don't want to lose him, right? You have to do this! And don't worry, we're all going to do this, and we're all scared. But we have each other, and we won't let that fairy win, right?"

The other girls exchanged looks and then smiled. "Yeah," they said in unison.

"We're all in this together!" TenTen added enthusiastically. The got out of the car, with their best smiles on their faces, and then they entered the bar to celebrate with their boyfriends.

_We have each other, we're not alone_, Sakura thought, trying to believe it was all going to be okay, but deep inside, she had the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She just didn't want to accept it.

* * *

Notes: I'll give you cookies and brown pop if you review.


	5. Emergency: Never trust a fairy

Notes: Hello my wonderful readers! :D Thanks for the reviews, you make me really happy n,n Okay, so this is the 5th chapter and it is longer (I promised it!) Hinata is kinda OCC, I know it; she doesn't sttuter, but I'll tell you why! You'll see, I believe that Hinata is shy in the manga/anime because her father puts too much pressure on her about being a strong Hyuga and that made her insecure; in this history that didn't happen because there is no ninja world, so she's not so insecure. But that's just my opinion. One more thing I have to explain: this fairy, Kim, she doesn't actually have wings and she isn't Tinkerbell's or Harry Potter's friend, okay? xD She looks like a normal 11 years old human girl (and she's kinda bitchy :P) but she makes magic and that kind of stuff. Why? Well, 'cause I want to (:

Disclaimer: I just own Naruto's characters in my dreams.

* * *

**Chapter five**

_Emergency: Never trust a fairy_

Hinata opened her eyes tiredly. She stretched her arm and reached for her cell phone to turn the alarm off. "I heard you the first time," she murmured. She threw the cell phone away and yawned, then stretched her legs and jumped up her bed. Hinata walked towards the window and opened the hot pink curtains, letting the sunlight illuminate her huge room. Then, she turned around and walked slowly towards her bathroom to take a shower.

Ten minutes later, Hinata got out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. She rummaged through her closet to find something nice to wear. When she finally found something, she closed her closet and turned around to see a familiar face right in front of her. "HOLY CRAP!" she exclaimed, and fell to the floor, grasping the towel tightly around her body.

Kim raised an eyebrow at her. "Um, good morning?" she said. "I'm sorry I scared you... I guess."

"Uh… it's… it's okay," Hinata said, slowly getting up. She looked into Kim's blue eyes with a frown on her face. "But what are you doing here?"

"It's been twenty eight days, Hinata Hyuga. I am here for my pay!" the fairy replied happily.

Hinata blinked, confused. A second later, she finally remembered the random situation that occurred almost a month ago. "I almost forgot it…" she mumbled to herself. "Hey, wait; do you want my body _now_?"

"Yeah," Kim responded casually, looking around the room. "Today is the day, remember? Tonight is full moon."

"I see…" Hinata bit her lower lip. She didn't expect her to want to do that so soon. She had expected her to come at night or the next day, too. But that fairy was really unpredictable. "Okay, just let me get dressed," Hinata finally said, and Kim nodded her head, still looking around the room.

Hinata walked back into the bathroom, thinking that, although she had said she'd do it, she still wasn't quite sure if lending her body to a fairy for a day was a good idea. Sakura had said they needed to do it for her boyfriends if they loved them and didn't want to lose them. Hinata was sure she loved Naruto, but still…

_What if she says or does something weird? People would suspect and she would embarrass me!_ Hinata thought. _But then again, I can't lose Naruto… Ugh, it is so confusing!_ But she finally decided that she was going to do it. It was just a day, anyways… right?

* * *

When the Hyuga came out, already dressed, Kim was jumping in her bed happily. "This is fun!" she exclaimed. Hinata raised an eyebrow, but didn't make a comment about it.

"Can we start now? I don't want to be late for school," Hinata said. Kim stopped jumping and blinked her eyes.

"Oh, right, don't worry," she started, "you just stand still and I'll do my magic."

Hinata took a deep breath and nodded. She wondered if it would hurt. Not every day you lend your body to a fairy…

Hinata watched as Kim put her hands together and closed her eyes. A second later, she disappeared. Hinata frowned and looked around but didn't see her. When she gave a step forward, she felt her body lighter, and that made her feel dizzy. She almost lost her balance, but she continued walking and searching for Kim. When she turned around, she saw a person that looked just like her standing right in front of her and smiling.

"What… the hell?" she whispered, staring at her clone with wide eyes.

"You see? It was easy!" the clone exclaimed happily. A second later, Hinata's eyes widened when she understood it: her clone was her body, her real, visible body, and Kim was inside of it.

She panicked for a moment. It was too surreal to see yourself standing right in front of you when you knew it was just your body and there was another person (or fairy) controlling it! _And_ she was like a ghost now! How creepy and freaky and unbelievable was that?

But she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. _No time to panic_, she thought. Besides, magic did exist, she had seen it for herself, and fairies existed too. Hinata remembered she was doing this for Naruto and only for him, and that made her feel better.

"You need to go now," Hinata (well, her soul) said to Kim (well, the fairy inside her body). It was so confusing… "You, I mean, _I_ can't be late for school."

"Okay, okay, take it easy," Kim said slowly. "I'm gonna leave now. Happy?"

"Yeah." Hinata sighed. "Just- just _go_!" Kim nodded Hinata's head and smiled. She walked towards the door and was about to open it when Hinata stopped her. "Wait!" she said, and Kim turned around. "There are some things you need to know… if you're going to be me for a day."

Kim rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, tell me," she said, exasperated.

"Um, well, okay…" Hinata started. "Just… please, don't speak too much. And don't be loud. I'm not like that and I don't want people to suspect, okay? I'm like the shy and quiet kind of girl, but you can be yourself when you're with TenTen and the others because they know about this. And with my boyfriend…" Hinata suddenly looked down sadly. "Be… Be good to him, please, and don't kiss him or anything, because I'm kind of jealous… Is everything clear?"

"Yes." Kim smiled happily. "I just have to be quiet, polite and I can't kiss Naruto."

Hinata smiled. "Okay, I think you got it. Now, leave please, Neji will drive you to school."

"Neji? You mean TenTen's boy?" Kim asked, confused.

"Yeah, he's my cousin and he lives with me," Hinata responded, sitting on the edge of her bed. "He has a car and he takes me to school every day. He also takes me home after school, so go to the school's parking lot and find his car to come back home."

"Oh, I see… Well, goodbye Hinata!" Kim turned around and opened the door. She smiled to Hinata before closing the door behind her.

Hinata was now alone in her bedroom. She looked around and sighed. _What do I do now_? she thought. Suddenly, Naruto's face appeared into her mind, and she sighed again. _I'm going to miss him… But I just hope Kim won't screw anything up._

* * *

Kim, in Hinata's body, walked downstairs, smirking. _Stupid girl_, she thought, _of course I'm not going to do _everything_ she said! I want to have some FUN! Hah, never trust a fairy…_

_Man, the house is really huge_, she thought when she _finally_ found the exit. She saw a modern, cool convertible parked in front of the porch and a familiar boy on the driver seat. She smiled when she recognized Neji and opened the co-driver door. "Hi, Neji," she sang when she sat down and closed the door. "I'm ready to go!"

Neji turned to her and raised an eyebrow. He realized she wasn't acting like herself, he wasn't stupid. But he didn't make a comment about it. Hinata could be weird sometimes, anyways. "Okay," he sighed and turned the engine on.

They arrived to school just in time. Neji was older than Hinata for one year, so he was in TenTen's grade. He left her after muttering a "see you later," alone in the school's corridors. Kim didn't know where to go and she was getting frustrated, but suddenly, she saw a familiar person walking towards her. "Ino!" she exclaimed.

"Hey," Ino greeted, with a smile on her face.

"Hey, do you… do you know what's Hinata's first class?" Kim asked, hesitating.

Ino raised an eyebrow, very confused. Why was Hinata talking like that, in third person? Ino was about to ask, "What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?" when something clicked inside her brain. Her baby blue eyes widened and her jaw fell.

"K-Kim?" she whispered. Kim smirked and nodded slowly. Why was Ino so surprised? Oh, right, she had forgotten it: the others didn't know she was in Hinata's body yet. They all had probably forgotten about the pay and the spell, like Hinata had.

"W-what the hell are you doing inside her _now_?" Ino continued, still whispering. The teenagers walking past them didn't seem to care about their conversation; they were focused in their own business. So Kim rolled her eyes at Ino's stupid actions.

"You don't have to whisper, Ino," Kim told her. "And, answering your question, it's already been twenty eight days and tonight there's going to be full moon. I said Hinata was going to be the first to pay, remember?"

"Oh, right…" the blonde replied, looking down at her feet. Kim studied the expression on her face but failed to interpret it before Ino raised her head and gave her a fake grin. "We stay in the same classroom during all the classes, a classroom called the homeroom. I'm in Hinata's class, just like Sakura, so I'll show you where the homeroom is, okay?"

Kim nodded and followed Ino. They entered the homeroom just in time before the bell rang. The teenagers there where talking and laughing loudly. Some were throwing little airplanes made of sheets to other people. Kim watched them, fascinated, as she followed Ino to their desks. Human teenagers seemed to know how to have a good time!

But suddenly, she stopped walking when she almost ran into a blond boy who, out of nowhere, jumped in front of her. "Hinata!" he exclaimed with a big smile on his face.

Kim raised an eyebrow, confused, but then she recognized him. "Oh… Naruto!" she replied, smiling back. Naruto's smile grew wider and he leaned closer to kiss her on the lips shortly.

Kim was too shocked to move; she just stood there, frozen. Oh, no, he did not just kiss her. Hinata told her not to kiss him, but he had moved too fast for her to do something… So actually, _he_ kissed _her_; she didn't break that rule, right?

"Hinata!" someone yelled from behind Naruto. They both turned to Ino, who was staring at them with slightly wide eyes. "C-come here, Hinata… sit with me," she said nervously.

"But I wanted her to sit with me," Naruto protested, outing. "I'm her boyfriend, after all."

"Yeah…" Kim said, smirking evilly. "He's _my_ boyfriend, Ino."

"B-But, Hinata…" Ino was trying to hide her panic.

"Bye, Ino," she said, enjoying to make her freak out.

Naruto smiled and put an arm around Kim's shoulders. They turned around and started walking towards their desks. Kim glanced over her shoulder and saw Ino giving her a _what-the-hell-are-you-doing_ look, but she just smirked and continued walking. _Let the fun start_, she thought happily.

* * *

When the bell rang and the first class ended, Ino stood up and saw Hinata (well, Kim) standing up with Naruto, holding hands. She tried to follow them but she lost them among the crowd in the corridors.

"Damn," Ino murmured. She didn't know what that fairy was doing; maybe she was trying to act like Hinata, but she was sure Hinata told her not to kiss or spend too much time with Naruto (she knew she was very jealous). Kim wasn't as innocent as she looked like, and Ino had a really bad feeling about her.

"Hey, Ino-pig!" Ino turned around when she heard Sakura's voice. She saw the girl leaning against the wall, with TenTen beside her.

Ino ran towards them, breathing heavily, with a worried expression on her face. They frowned at her. "Forehead," Ino started, "Kim… she… she's inside Hinata. She's with Naruto and I don't know why but I definitely don't trust her…"

"What?" TenTen said. "She's inside her already? Wasn't she going to wait until night?"

"That's what I was expecting too," Ino replied. "But she didn't. I'm sure Hinata told her not to spend too much time with Naruto, you know how jealous she is, but Kim is being… too _friendly_ to him. And she… she was smirking, and… I don't know; I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Ino, calm down," Sakura said. She hated when Ino said she had a bad feeling, because she was always right. However, she tried to calm her friends down. "You're freaking out, and hallucinating," she told Ino. "Maybe Kim just wants to know how it feels to be a human, she's not mean. You're being paranoiac, pig."

Ino sighed and looked down. "Yeah…" she said slowly, "I think I am. I just… ugh, this whole situation is so weird. I feel like I'm dreaming. Like, one day I don't believe in fairies and magic, but the next I realize they do exist."

"True that," TenTen said, raising her eyebrows. "Magic does exist. What else we thought was unreal does exist? Santa Claus?"

"Who knows," Temari said, and then she sighed. "You know what else is weird? That Hinata is not really herself. That it's a fairy inside her body."

"I know." Sakura bit her lower lip. "But, hey, it's just one day, okay? She'll come back tomorrow." She smiled slightly and her friends tried to smile back too… unsuccessfully.

* * *

Kim didn't talk to Hinata's friends during the next classes. She stayed with Naruto and noticed that Sakura and Ino shot her murderous glares every time she touched him, and she smirked every time they did that. It was just too fun for her to make them angry, and having fun was what she wanted.

But still… this guy, Naruto, was _a pain in the ass_. He was stupid, annoying and he smiled way too much. Kim was sick of him, she didn't care she was supposed to nice with him, or that he wasn't a bad person, despite of his annoying personality. Besides, he treated her (Hinata) like his freaking sun; he was always staring at her, like a retarded. Kim thought that maybe she used too much of her love powder with him without noticing.

But she didn't explode until lunch time, in the cafeteria. She was sitting with Naruto and some of his friends on a table. At that point, all she could do was act apathetic and shut up; she was actually _trying_ to be good.

But suddenly, Naruto, who had been pretty focused on talking to his other friends, turned to her. "Hey, Hinata, why don't you speak?" he asked. Kim pretended that she didn't hear him, but he didn't give up. "Hey, Hinataaaa?" he said, and started poking her cheek. "Did you hear me?"

Okay, in her defense, she actually tried to be patient. She really tried it, and hard. But the cheek poking, plus his annoying voice, plus, the stress that had been building inside of her, eventually made her stand up and yell, "OKAY, THAT'S IT! I'M SICK OF YOU, YOU ANNOYING KID!"

"H-Hinata?" Naruto murmured, looking scared, as if he hadn't expected her outburst. "What's wrong?"

"_YOU_ ARE WRONG!" Kim replied. At this point she was doing a show for the whole cafeteria. "YOU'RE IDIOT, YOUR JOKES ARE STUPID AND I CAN'T STAND YOU ANYMORE!" Kim turned around and walked towards the exit, leaving an embarrassed and hurt Naruto behind.

* * *

"Oh… my… God," Temari murmured. She and her friends were sitting on a table in the cafeteria and they saw everything Kim did. Temari turned her wide eyes to her friends. "I can't believe she did that!" she exclaimed.

"That fairy is a bitch," TenTen hissed.

Sakura sighed. "I think you were right, Ino. Kim means bad news."

"Yeah but I don't think she did that to Naruto on purpose," Ino replied. Her friends raised their eyebrows at her. "I mean, she seemed to just have… exploded. Perhaps Naruto is too annoying for her to bear. We don't know how he acts towards Hinata; maybe he's more annoying than usual, but Hinata loves him, so she doesn't care."

"Well, Naruto really is annoying sometimes." Temari shrugged. "But Kim was very cruel…"

"I think that fairy just screwed something up. Naruto looks very hurt," TenTen said, looking at him with pity.

The rest of them turned to the blond boy resting his elbows on the table and looking down sadly. The girls flinched a little; Naruto wasn't someone that got depressed so easily, but 'Hinata' – his girlfriend – insulted him, so maybe that made him really sad. "Poor guy," Ino murmured. "Hinata's going to be very ashamed… and pissed."

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Sakura said, "and explain him that Hinata had a bad day or something, that he doesn't have the fault."

Ino sighed. "Anything to fix this…"

Sakura nodded and stood up. She walked towards Naruto's table. His friends had already left, he was alone, and she sat right in front of him. The blond raised his head and smiled a smile that didn't reach his lost-puppy eyes. "Hey, Sakura, what's up?" he said in a fake cheerful tone.

Sakura pursed her lips and stared at him with sadness. "Don't do this now, Naruto," she whispered. Naruto's smile disappeared and he looked down again. He knew that Sakura knew him to well to see through his fake happy facade. "I'm… I'm here because I want to explain what's wrong with Hinata," Sakura continued.

"She got tired of me," he replied dryly. "I already know that, Sakura, but thank you for trying."

"That's not true!" Sakura said, frowning. "She loves you! It's just that… today… well; she has problems with her father. You know how he is, very strict. So she's kinda stressed out… But she still loves you, don't doubt that."

"So that's it?" Naruto looked up at her with full-of-hope eyes. "She… she just had a bad day?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied, "and I'm sorry she took it out with you. But, well, you know, girls are complicated." She grinned and Naruto chuckled.

"Thank you, Sakura," Naruto said sincerely.

* * *

Kim hated to be a human. Humans have needs, like drinking and eating, and she needed to do that if she was inside the girl's body. She missed to be a fairy, because fairies didn't bother with stupid things like those. _But it is just a day_, she thought, _and… I'm really having fun_!

Naruto's expression when she exploded was priceless. For a moment, she thought that he was going to cry in front of all the people in the cafeteria, but he just looked down sadly and didn't reply. Perhaps Kim was cruel, but the kid wasn't going to die because of what she said, would he? Besides, Hinata would apologize for her later.

Kim finished drinking water from the drinking fountain. She wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand and continued walking. She remembered she didn't know where to go and decided to sit down on the stairs and wait to see what happened.

Suddenly, a boy passed in front of her and stopped when he saw her. "Hinata?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "What are you doing here?"

Kim stared at him with slightly wide eyes. What was she supposed to say? And who was this guy? Maybe one of Hinata's friends, but – man, he was handsome! He had brown spiky hair and red tattoos on his cheeks that made him look sexy.

Suddenly, Kim had an idea that would make her have even more fun. "I was waiting for _you_," she replied, trying to make Hinata's voice sound sexy.

"Waiting for me?" the guy asked, confused. "What do you want me for, Hinata?"

Kim stood up and walked closer to the guy. "For anything, my dear… uh…" Kim froze when she remembered that she didn't know the guy's name.

"Kiba," the guy said, frowning. "My name is Kiba. You forgot my name?" He seemed insulted.

"Oh, of course not!" Kim shook her head. "It's just that… you didn't let me finish my sentence. I wasn't going to say your name, I was going to say… _handsome_." Kim smirked seductively and a small blush appeared on Kiba's tanned cheeks. "Anyways… I thought you would get mad at me, so I hesitated. But… believe me; I would _never_ forget your name, Kiba. You're too special for me."

Kim winked at him and turned around. She walked away, leaving behind a boy with raised hopes.

* * *

Kin was walking towards the school's garden when she suddenly heard someone calling her name – her real name. She turned around, and saw the four girls she had expected to see. "Oh, girls, what a surprise!" she said cheerfully. The girls glared at her. "What?" Kim asked innocently.

"You know what," TenTen hissed.

"We saw what you did to Naruto!" Sakura accused. "I'm sure Hinata told you some rules, and being nice to him was one of them. She won't like this and-"

"I don't give a shit about Hinata," Kim interrupted, glaring back. "She lent me her body and I can do whatever I want because this is my pay – end of the story. You should be grateful I am doing my best to be good."

Kim turned around and tried to walk away, but Ino put a hand on her shoulder and made her turn around. "We're not done yet!" she yelled. When she was about to continue, the bell rang. Ino shut up and they glared at Kim as she walked away, smirking.

"We have to do something," Temari murmured. "Things between Naruto and Hinata are not going to be the same after what Kim did today. We can't let her ruin our lives too."

"You're right," TenTen said, and then she turned to Sakura. "Sakura, can your aunt help us get rid of Kim?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Maybe she can. We should go talk to her."

"Okay, then," Ino said. "I just hope your aunt can do something, because this is an emergency."

* * *

Somehow, Kim managed to find her way back to the homeroom. She received some glares from Sakura and Ino and a hurt look from Naruto, but she ignored them all.

The next classes went fast because she fell asleep (no teacher cared, strangely). The bell announcing the end of the day woke her up, and she remembered that Neji was going to take her home.

The exit of the school was just two meters away from her when she heard someone calling Hinata's name behind her. She turned around and saw that Kiba guy running towards her. She calmed the urge to roll her eyes and just waited for him.

"Hey… Hinata," he gasped, agitated because of running. She smiled and waited until he caught his breath back. "Um, listen, I… I was thinking that maybe… maybe we could go somewhere tonight. I was thinking of the cinema, perhaps. So… what do you say?"

"Uh…" Kim looked down, thinking. "That's… that's a good idea, Kiba." She didn't want to reject the guy, he seemed to be fun.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "I mean – that's great! Uh, ahh… well, I know where you live, I can pick you up."

"Yeah, yeah," Kim replied, turning around. "See you tonight, _handsome_." She was sure Kiba was blushing as she walked away.

* * *

When Kim arrived home, she instantly ran upstairs, to Hinata's bedroom. She closed the door behind her and threw her (well, Hinata's) body to the king sized bed. She sighed into Hinata's purple covers and smiled. "That was awesome!" she murmured.

Suddenly, she heard the bathroom's door opening. She raised her head and saw Hinata (well, her soul) walking out of there. "So, how was your day?" Hinata asked politely, sitting on the edge of the bed. She was glad Kim had finally arrived; she had been kind of bored during the eight hours she spent alone in her bedroom, just listening music in her iPod and wondering what Naruto was doing.

"Fine, I guess," Kim replied, smirking. "But the day is not over yet, you know? I'm going to go to the cinema with some cool friend of yours."

"Really?" Hinata asked and Kim nodded. "Oh… well, it's good that you liked my other friends. But, tell me, who may this friend be?"

"I think his name is Kiba," Kim answered with indifference. "He's fun and…kinda handsome, too."

"I see…" the Hyuuga said, frowning, but trying to sound normal and casual. "Did he invite you? Is this kind of a… date?"

"I don't know," Kim said, standing up and walking towards Hinata's closet. "I think he has a crush on you, but, you know, whatever. Hey, what should I wear, huh?"

"HE _WHAT_?" Hinata's eyes widened. "Wait, hold on right there. You said... he has a crush on _me_?"

"Um, yeah, it seemed like it." Kim shrugged. "But we're just going to have fun, Hinata, don't be a drama queen! I know you love Naruto! By the way, this Naruto guy, he's a pain in the ass, dude. How can you stand him?"

Hinata shook her head and sighed. "Listen, Kim, if you try to do something more than friendly to Kiba-"

Kim rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to do anything! Calm down, please." She grabbed some clothes and walked towards the bathroom. When she came out, Hinata almost screamed when she saw she was wearing a skirt. A freaking skirt. Real Hinata didn't wear _skirts_! Why did she have one in her closet, anyways?

"Kiba is going to pick me up, okay? I'll come back later," was all Kim said before leaving the room.

Hinata was so shocked that she reacted just one minute later._This doesn't smell good, _she thought as she quickly grabbed her cell phone and called for help.

"_Hello?_"

"TenTen?" she called into the loudspeaker. "Oh, thank god you're there. Um, listen, did you hear that me, I mean, Kim is going on a date with Kiba?

"_WHAT! Oh my god, that's crazy! The nerve of that fairy!_"

"Yeah, I know it's crazy, but it's true…"

"_Then we have to do something! What if she tries to kiss him or… _something_ else?"_

Hinata flinched. "Holy crap, TenTen, you're being extremist! But I want you to do something about it, okay? I don't want Kiba to think that I like him or something, and if Naruto finds out… I'd _die_, TenTen."

"_Ugh… Okay, calm down, Hinata, me and the girls are gonna do something. Just _calm down_, okay? Don't panic…! Ugh, well, I'll go tell the girls. See you later, Hinata."_

"Bye, TenTen, and thank you."

Hinata hung up. Now the only things she could do were wait and hope.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the door of Hinata's bedroom opened. Hinata, who was sitting on the edge of her bed and biting her nails nervously, raised her head and saw Kim (herself) entering the room with an angry and tired expression on her face. Hinata stood up and walked towards her. "What happened?" she asked.

"Ugh, your friends screw my date up," Kim replied. "They popped up from nowhere and decided to _keep us company_. They didn't even let Kiba drive me home; Temari did it. I'm so annoyed…" she yawned, "and tired!"

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "You said it wasn't a date."

Kim just rolled her eyes at her. She walked towards the bed and stopped when she was standing two meters away from Hinata. She turned around to face her and said, "Okay, I think the day finally ended. Tell Temari she's going to be next."

Kim closed her eyes and put her palms together. In a blink of an eye, Hinata was standing in the same place Kim had been standing, and Kim (in her original body) was standing two meters away from her. "I believe you paid me now," Kim finished, smirking.

Hinata looked down to her body and smiled happily. It felt so good to have her body back! When she raised her head, Kim was nowhere to be seen. The fairy was, finally, gone. She stretched her arms and yawned. "It's been a long day," she murmured to herself. "But luckily, it's already over."

* * *

Notes: ZOMG TEMARI'S NEXT! D: Someone asked if the spell actually worked. The answer is: No, I made it up xD But who knows? Everything is possible :) So, um, I hope this whole thing about the crazy fairy is not too ridiculous. I think it's interesting, but I would love to know what you think :) Remember I eat reviews; please feed me! ):


	6. Fairies can keep promises

Notes: Sixth chapter! And there are more coming! :D Sorry I updated late, but I'm not very inspired lately :L Characters may be OOC, but REMEMBER: it is an alternative universe, and they are not ninjas, so their lives and personalities are different. Anyways, thank you for reading my story! :B

Disclaimer: Do you really want me to say that I'm not famous and rich, because I don't own Naruto? How cruel...

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**-**

**-**

_Fairies can keep promises_

-

-

The next day, Hinata woke up and went to school. Her friends were glad to see her again and told her everything about the chaos Kim did. If Hinata was mad when she heard about her flirting with Kiba, she was fuming when she heard about what she said to Naruto. Even though Sakura told her she spoke with him and told him a lie that made him feel better, Hinata was about to cry at that moment.

"Hinata, please calm down," TenTen begged her, "he will forgive you, okay? Besides, it's not a big thing! Because Sakura lied to him and he loves you no matter what, and you know it."

"Yeah," Ino supported, "and it won't happen again, Kim's not going to interfere in your life anymore, now you're free."

"But she hurt his feelings!" Hinata insisted. "I can't believe her, why did she have to do that? I told her to be good with him… Ugh, I hate her!"

"We hate her too, Hinata" Sakura said, "What she did was wrong, and we're sure she would do something like that again. We have to stop her before she hurts us more, so I'll call my aunt and tell her we're going to visit her. She knows a lot about this stuff, and maybe she can give us an advice to get rid of Kim."

"You really think she can help us?" Hinata asked. "Why don't you just give her what she wants? I did it…"

"And you didn't like the results" TenTen said. "Besides, why do we have to do what that stupid fairy wants, huh? We're not her slaves!"

"I guess you're right, we're not slaves" Hinata responded. "I don't want you to feel what I'm feeling because of what she did."

"So, that's it" Sakura took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, after school, we'll go to my aunt's house, and we'll stop this fairy."

-

-

That same day, Hinata was anxious to find her boyfriend. She didn't see him until lunch time, and that was driving her crazy. When she finally saw a boy with blond, spiky hair and a cheesy smile on his face, her heart almost froze. A murmur of his name escaped her lips before she ran to him.

She hugged his waist when she was close enough and buried her face on his back. Naruto turned his head to see the person hugging him from behind and his smile disappeared when he saw his girlfriend there. "Hinata," he said confused, "What are you doing?" Said girl raised her head and stared at him. When Naruto saw the tears on her eyes, he gave her a worry look. "Why are you crying?" he asked. He turned around and put his hands on both sides of her face.

Hinata looked into those beautiful blue eyes. He was worried for her, she realized, but she felt even worse with that. Even though she wasn't the one that told him those ugly things, he didn't know that, and she couldn't tell him the truth. She had to apologize for make him feel bad, even though it was Kim's fault, but Hinata felt guilty too, because she was the one that allowed that to happen. And she regretted.

"Naruto," Hinata finally managed to speak, "I'm sorry… I'm really, really sorry… For all the things I said… For hurting you…" But Naruto shut her up with a kiss.

"Please, don't cry for that, Hinata," He whispered, "I know it wasn't your fault, it was mine…"

"No, no, no…" Hinata begged, "Please don't say that, that's a lie. It wasn't your fault… Just forgive me, Naruto. Please."

"Of course I forgive you." He gave her a tender look before kissing her again. Hinata felt better now, because she didn't lose him. But Naruto was good hiding his feelings, just like Sakura, and she knew he was still a little hurt and that he would never forget what Kim said.

-

-

The next day after school, the five girls met in the school gates when the sun went down and the sky was dark. They felt uncertain; they trusted Sakura's aunt, because she did, but they didn't know what to expect. But even though they were nervous, they hoped for good.

They transported on Temari's car and Sakura gave Temari the instructions to get to her aunt's house. Temari was glad she wanted an old car for her birthday instead of an expensive one when she saw the neighborhood Sakura's aunt lived in. A fancy car didn't survive for 10 minutes there; you could see the thieves hiding in the darkness behind the old and abandoned buildings around them. Temari didn't like it, but she didn't panic and decided to stay cool. She was the older after all, she set the example.

"Here, we arrived," Sakura suddenly said. She pointed a small house that didn't seem to fit in the neighborhood; it seemed to be a doll house, too girly and happy. The other girls raised an eyebrow. "Why did your aunt chose to live in this neighborhood, Sakura?" TenTen questioned. Sakura just shrugged.

Temari parked the car in front of the small house. They followed Sakura to the porch; when she was about to knock the door, it suddenly opened. A blonde woman was there, smiling; she had pretty hazel eyes and REALLY big boobs. She was dressed like a hippie, with a long loose-fitting skirt and a colorful shawl over her head; she had a lot of necklaces on her neck and bracelets on her wrists that made sound when she moved. "Sakura!" she exclaimed happily, "What a surprise!"

"Hi aunt Tsunade," Sakura replied, smiling sheepishly. "It's good to see you again."

"Yes, well, what are you waiting for? Come in girls, come in!" Tsunade opened the door fully and the girls stepped in.

Sakura turned to her friends and pointed them as she said their names. "These are TenTen, Hinata, Ino and Temari; my best friends…" She then pointed her aunt, "Girls, this is my aunt Tsunade."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, young ladies" Tsunade replied, smiling tenderly.

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Tsunade," Hinata bowed her head politely. "We heard a lot about you."

"Oh, that's great, but just call me Tsunade, please" Tsunade replied. She turned around and walked to what appeared to be the living room, motioning the girls to follow her.

"Hey, Sakura," Ino whispered to her friend as they walked behind the woman, "how did she opened the door before you even knocked, huh?"

"She's… especial, I told you," Sakura answered. "She has a gift."

"Oh, so she kind of sees the future?" Temari asked curious.

"Um… not exactly; she just has good hearing. She heard the car's engine."

"Oh…"

Tsunade took a sit on the couch and motioned the girls to sit on the other couches with her. The room was fancy and girly, with a lot of elegant painting on the pink walls and a chimney. It seemed like a doll house in the inside too. "So," Tsunade started, pouring some kind of liquid from a porcelain teapot to a porcelain cup, "Do you want some tea?"

The girls accepted politely. After the woman served a cup to everyone, she asked: "What is the thing you have to tell me?"

Sakura exchanged nervous looks with her friends. "Well," she started, "do you remember that I told you I and my friends were going to do a love spell, and you gave me the salt and the candle?"

"Yes, of course," Tsunade replied, taking a sip of her cup, "It was about a month ago but I still remember; I'm not that old. What about it? Did it work?"

"Um, yeah, it worked very well" Sakura continued. "But, you see, that's not the problem… Twenty eight days after the night we did the spell, we were in our way to a party and we almost had an accident because a person was standing in the middle of the road. It was a little girl; when we asked her if she was missing she told us she was looking for us. Then she explained that she was a fairy and-"

Tsunade spitted out her tea. "A FAIRY?!" she yelled. Sakura flinched and then nodded. "YOU DID A SPELL THAT REQUIRED FAIRIES' SERVICES?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"We didn't know that!" Sakura defended. "I saw it on internet but of course it didn't specify!"

Tsunade looked like if she was about to explode… literally. She stared at her ashamed niece for a moment and then took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay," she started, "you didn't know, I understand that, and I'm sorry. But you have to realize you made a huge mistake."

"We know that" Sakura replied, looking down. "She wants us to lend her our bodies for a day each one, because she says she wants to know how does it feels like to be a human. Hinata was first, she did it the day before yesterday, and the fairy embarrassed her and hurt her boyfriend's feelings. It was a chaos and we don't want her to do the same with our lives."

"Are you here to ask me how to get rid of her?" Tsunade asked. The girls nodded slowly, and she sighed. "I see… But I'm afraid I can't do that."

"WHAT!" Ino exclaimed. "Why not?!"

"Let me explain you how the fairies' spells work" Tsunade started. "First of all, you need to know that there are three ways to do the kind of spell you did. One is where you make a sacrifice; this is a sadistic way, because it asks you for a soul. The second is where the fairies take care of what you ask for; they just need some of your blood so they can find you and force you to pay them. They usually don't ask for a big thing, that's why everyone prefers this way, but fairies can be bitches sometimes. And the third is the easiest; it doesn't need fairies or sacrifice. It's very safe but it is temporal, that means that your wish comes true only for a month."

"Oh, okay…" Ino relied slowly, "But, then, how can we get rid of a fairy if we did it the second way?"

"Well, you already know" Tsunade said. "You can either lose what she gave you or just give her what she wants. I'm sure you wouldn't choose the first option, right?"

"Yeah…" TenTen sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice… But is there a way to stop her when she's about to do something embarrassing inside our bodies?"

Tsunade put a finger on her chin and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Hmm… let's see…" she mumbled to herself, "How to control a fairy inside your- OH I KNOW!" She stood up and ran to the other room.

"Should we follow her?" Ino asked.

"She'll come back" Sakura shrugged, taking a sip of her tea.

Two minutes later, Tsunade was back with a big old book on her hands. She sat down where she was and put the heavy book on the coffee table. She started searching a page and the girls watched curious. "HERE!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Okay, listen up, ladies. This is a possession book, it contains everything about possessions. It's impossible to possess a fairy, they're very shrewd, but I read something about fairies here. It is how to force a fairy to keep a promise. Would that work for you?"

The girls exchanged looks. "I guess it would," Sakura replied, smirking.

"Good!" Tsunade closed the book. "I'm glad I helped my niece and her friends. Keep the book, okay? I suppose the fairy tells you who's gonna be the next one…"

"Yeah, that's me" Temari said.

"Okay," Tsunade gave her the heavy book, "study page 151, before the fairy comes back, Temari. It's kind of a spell too, but it is different from the one you made."

"Thank you so much, aunt!" Sakura stood up and hugged Tsunade.

"Yes, yes, you welcome" Tsunade laughed. "Now, leave and go home, okay? It's late."

The girls left after thanking her again. Temari dropped her friends at their houses and then she headed home. She glanced to the book on the co-driver seat nervously every now and then. _Would this work?_ She wondered. Honestly, she thought that trying to get rid of Kim was a waste of time; they should just do it, it was just a day after all. Hinata did it, why couldn't they? She survived, right? But her friends were stupid. _Oh,_ _whatever…besides, who knows,_ Temari thought sighing, _maybe it does work and I won't have to lend my body._

-

-

Temari entered her house, with the heavy possession book under her left arm. She checked her watch as she closed the door behind her; it was 9:45 pm. It wasn't that late and nobody cared about that anyways (her father was never home), but she had to set the example to her brothers.

She walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She was hungry but there was nothing good to eat. Annoyed, she closed the fridge, left the book in the bar and walked to the living room. "Gaara!" she called her youngest brother. The red haired was hypnotized playing his stupid videogames, like always, and he just nodded his head to show his sister he listened. "I'm hungry; I want you to go buy me something."

When Gaara heard that, he stopped his game and turned to Temari with a raised eyebrow. "Are you high?" he said, "I'm not going to the store to buy you something at 10 pm, Temari."

"Well, then cook me something!" Temari replied. "I'm your older sister and I took care of you when you were an annoying little baby. You have to pay me!"

Gaara scoffed. "Yeah, right, thank you very much, sister." He turned to his videogame and continued playing. "Tell Kankuro to do it."

Temari rolled her dark blue eyes and turned around. She walked into the kitchen and saw Kankuro about to open the book she left on the bar. "Hey!" Temari stopped him. "Stop being curious and go buy me something to eat; I'm freaking starving!"

"Huh?" Kankuro said as his sister snatched the heavy book away from his hands. "But it's 10 pm, Temari; you go. And besides, why should I do that? And what the hell is that book, HUH?"

"You're younger than me and you have to obey me, Kankuro, that's why" Temari replied. "And this book is none of your business."

"Just for eleven months, Temari!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"And that is enough for you. Now go and buy me bread and ham; I want a sandwich." With that, Temari passed by him and walked upstairs to her bedroom. Behind her, Kankuro rolled his eyes and sighed, but grabbed his car keys and left to the store.

Temari entered her bedroom and smiled when she heard Kankuro's car leaving. She loved when her brothers did what she said. She threw the book on her bed, entered the bathroom and took a shower. Ten minutes later she entered her bedroom again, combing her wet blonde hair, and saw something that almost gave her a heart attack: The book was gone. "Holy fuck…" she hissed. She looked around desperately, trying to find the book that wasn't on her bed anymore. When she couldn't find it, she ran downstairs.

"GAARA!" she yelled desperately, walking to the living room, where she could still hear his brother playing. "DID YOU TAKE MY BOOK?!"

Gaara stopped his game and sighed. "Yes, Temari, I did" he replied with boredom. Temari's eyes grew wider and Gaara almost laughed at her face.

"Why?" she hissed. "Give it to me now!"

"I usually give a damn about your crap but I saw this on your bed," Gaara answered, taking the book on his hands, "and I was curious to know what the hell my sister read. You're not an intellectual kind of girl, you know? So I was obviously surprised." Temari took the opportunity to snatch the book from his hands, but Gaara didn't care and continued his rant. "I thought for a minute that maybe dating Shikamaru was good for you, even when it made you look like a pedophile. I thought he was making you a smarter person, but when I opened and read the title '_Possession spells'_, I almost felt glad that now when I call you witch, it's true."

Temari glared at him. "It is not witchcraft… well, not exactly. I know what I'm doing and it's my business, not yours, and if you ever take my things again, you are going to have nightmares every night for the rest of you pathetic life. Was that clear?"

"Yeah, yeah…" he replied, turning to his game again. "I am not retarded."

"Sometimes I doubt that." Temari turned around just in time to see Kankuro closing the door behind him, with a bag of groceries. "I had to use my own money, you'll have to pay me" he said.

"Yes, yes, I will." Temari took the bag and went to the kitchen to prepare her sandwich. She walked upstairs when she finished, with her plate in one hand and the book in the other hand. She entered her bedroom and ate while reading the page Tsunade indicated.

_Fairies_…  
_They can be greedy and selfish. When they want something, they will get it no matter what._

_When you make a fairy spell, they usually come back and ask you for their pay. Yes, __a pay__. Magic is not free, you know? They have to spend their time and powder (which is not easy to make) to help you, and of course they don't do this for charity. Fairies spells ask for some of the user's blood; that ties you for an eternity until you pay them, so it's not easy to get rid of them. Fortunately, they are liars and hypocrites, and if you ask them to be nice or something, they will say yes. Right then is when you have to do a Keeping Promise Spell._

_Keeping Promise Spells are a different kind of spells. They don't need you to sacrifice a soul or fairies' help. When you do them, you kind of bewitch an object or food. It also works on humans, but just with objects. For example, you can give a necklace to someone to make him or her keep a promise. But with fairies is different, because they are not naives. You can use a drink or a candy and then give it to them as a gratitude symbol. They love sweets and gifts; those make them feel 'special', so you can fool them with that. Once they consume it, you have to tell them to keep the promise or promises and when they say yes, the spell is officially working, and it expires 24 hours later._

Temari raised her head and bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Twenty four hours…" she murmured, "Just what we need." She looked down at the book again and continued reading.

_How can you make a Keeping Promise Spell?_

_Well, it's easy. First of all, you need to find what you're going to offer to the fairy (the candy or drink). Then you prepare the potion; put 5 petals of red roses, honey and salt into water from a pond to do it. Submerge the candy into it or put 5 drops of it into the drink._

Temari yawned. She closed the book and put it under her mattress, feeling satisfied but tired about what she read. She stood up tiredly and made sure every light was off downstairs. She went to Gaara's bedroom and checked if he wasn't still playing his videogames. He was already sleeping, just like Kankuro in his bedroom.

Temari had always been like a mother to them, even when she used to play cruel with them. She loved them no matter what, and their safety was her peace. They needed a mother, after all, and she didn't want them to have the burden she had. Sometimes she missed her mother, she felt alone, and wished Gaara had never born so she could still have her mother. But it wasn't Gaara's fault, like her father thought. Besides, her mother loved him, and she gave her life for him. She was so brave; that was the thing Temari admired from her the most.

She came back to her bedroom, glad to know her brothers were sleeping, and she fell asleep as well.

-

-

Twenty five days later, the night before Kim had to arrive, Temari prepared the candy she was going to give to Kim for the Keeping Promise Spell. She made sure the wrapper was on its place and she put the candy on a bowl with another candies, to make it look normal. She slept well, and the next day, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was Kim's childish face inches away from hers. Temari gasped and threw a pillow at her.

"Hey!" Kim yelled, dodging the pillow. "What, are you trying to freaking kill me?!"

Temari blinked, sitting up. "Oh, I am sorry," she said, "but it's not my fault YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!"

Kim flinched; Temari could be scary whenever she wanted. "Jeez, calm down, girl" Kim said. "I came because it's been 28 days already, and-"

"You're here for your pay, I know" Temari rolled her eyes. "Well, just let me take a shower, get dressed and stuff and we'll start, okay?"

She stood up and left. Kim sat down and let her eyes wander through Temari's room. Ten minutes later, Temari entered the room again, dressed already. Kim stood up and glared at her. "I don't like to wait, you know?"

"You should change that pessimist attitude then" Temari replied, walking to her night table. She took some candies from the bowl and put one into her mouth. "Do you want a candy?" she offered. Kim gave her a weird look and she sighed. "Oh, c'mon, relax! It's a gift, take it, you'll like it."

Kim hesitated but gave up and ate the candy. "It's… good" she commented sheepishly. Temari nodded; inside, she was smiling proudly_. Hah, it worked, how naïve_, she thought.

"It's cherry" Temari commented. "Anyways, before we do this, I have a few things I want you not to do. You cannot get me into trouble, kiss or hug my boyfriend, flirt with other guys or be a bitch."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kim replied.

"You promise it?" Temari asked.

"Yes, I promise" Kim said.

_Bingo._ "Great!" the blonde smiled, "Now, what do I have to do? I honestly have no idea how to-"

"Just shut up and stay still, okay?" Kim interrupted her. She walked until she stood two meters away from Temari, and then put her hands together, closing her eyes. In a blink of an eye, she was gone. Temari raised an eyebrow, confused, and when she took a step forward, she felt dizzy and less heavy. When she turned around, she saw a girl that looked just like herself standing in front of her.

"Holy fuck" she said, smiling and staring at her clone with wide eyes. "This is awesome!"

Her clone rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you are so weird." Kim (inside Temari's body) walked to the door and opened. "Your body is mine now, I can do whatever I want. So I can't promise to be early at home, okay?" She smirked and then left.

Even though, Temari smirked. _Stupid fairy_, was the last thing she thought before she threw herself on the bed and slept some more.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**

* * *

**

Notes: Dun Dun Dun! To be continued!!?? Yeah, but please don't hate me D: Guess what! You'll get $100 dollars if you review... Um, no, not really xD I just want to know what you think :)


	7. Karin's plan

Notes: Oh my gosh I'm so sorry it took soooo long DDD: You don't know how sorry i am, really ): But it's just that i didn't have time to continue writting until now. Also, i have been very inspired, but with another story. I'm gonna update it soon, and i hope you'll like it ;D Anyways, this chapter is the longest until now! (:

Disclaimer: Naruto's awesome characters in this story are not mine. Just the fairy, Kim :)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

-

-

_Karin's plan_

**_-_**

**_-_**

Kim (on Temari's body) walked down stairs with a smirk on her face. _Are they stupid or extremely naïve?_ She wondered. A smart person wouldn't tell _her_, a fairy, to be good and keep a promise; it was just too stupid. Didn't they learn the lesson? Kim wasn't someone they could trust, they should had realized that with what she did inside Hinata's body. It was kind of weird and suspicious, but Kim ignored it and focused on having a fun day.

"I heard voices up stairs," a red haired boy standing in front of her said. He appeared from nowhere and Kim jumped slightly of surprise. "Were you talking to another person or you're stupid enough to talk to yourself?"

Kim frowned. Was he… _insulting_ her? Did he say… _stupid_? Kim was about to say something, when she remembered that she wasn't inside her body. He insulted Temari, _not_ her. She sighed. "I was talking to myself, yes. I'm very, _very_ stupid... I'm so stupid that I don't even remember who you are. Mind to tell me?"

"I never thought you would finally admit it," he replied, staring at her suspiciously. "I'm your brother, Gaara, by the way."

"People change." Kim shrugged and continued walking to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and looked for some good human food. She took an apple, because she always wondered how they tasted like, and when she took a bite, her eyes shinned with joy. "Oh my god, this is delicious!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, they looked good at the supermarket," a male voice said behind her. She quickly turned around. Did they want to scare the hell out of her appearing from nowhere? The boy was older than the red haired one; he had brown hair and purples tattoos in his face, which looked weird. "Can you give me one?" he asked. Kim nodded and took an apple for him slowly. He kind of scared her with those tattoos.

"We should go now" Gaara said, appearing from the living room, with a backpack over his shoulder. "I don't want to be late again because of you Kankuro, so Temari will drive today."

"D-Drive?" Kim asked nervously. _I can't drive!_ She yelled inside her head_, I don't know how! I'm just a freaking fairy inside a human's body!_ "I-I don't think that's a good idea, Gaara…"

"Why not?" Kankuro asked. "You heard the boy, if I drive, we'll be late."

"I know," Kim replied, "But… I just… I don't feel well, I can't drive."

"Oh… Then you should stay home." Gaara said, frowning. "You can't go to school if you're sick."

_NO! School is the fun part! _"I-I don't feel sick," Kim said, trying not to panic. "I have to go to school, but… I just don't want to drive, okay? You do it, Kankuro."

Kankuro hesitated. "Okay, whatever," he shrugged. Gaara rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else.

When they arrived to the school, she didn't leave from Kankuro's side. They were on the same grade so their classes were the same; he would take her where she had to be. Temari's classes were bored, but there was one good thing about them: she didn't know anyone there, so she could do whatever she wanted without having someone to accuse her.

However, she almost fainted when she _tried_ to flirt with some guy. She was planning on saying: "_Hey, handsome, what's your name?",_ but words didn't want to go out of her mouth. She stuttered for a while, her words illogical, until the guy stared at her like if she had two heads and left. Kim frowned, feeling confused and angry. What was her problem? She wasn't shy, why did she stutter? She tried to talk with some other guys, but it was all the same. It was like if she wasn't able to flirt anymore!

The bell rang, announcing that it was lunch time. Kim walked angrily to the cafeteria, glaring at anyone who dared to step on her way. A girl with heavy books on her arms, ugly glasses and short height crushed accidentally with her. Kim was ready to yell at her, to tell her how stupid she was, but words didn't come out of her mouth. She started stuttering and talking nonsense, exactly what she did when she tried to flirt before. Her anger turned into confusion and panic, as the nerd girl stared at her with worry. "UGH, JUST-!" she yelled, making the girl flinch, but she stopped abruptly when something inside of her made her try to calm down. After taking a deep breath, she said softly: "Just get out of my way, please." The girl nodded, still staring at her with worry, and then ran away.

Kim glared at her feet as she stood there, frozen. What the hell was going on?! Was she sick or something? Kim loved to be a bitch, it was an impulse, part of her personality, but a few moments ago it was like if she had… changed? No, she _couldn't _change, it was impossible. Fairies never age, so they kind of never mature; their personalities are childish and they are used to be odious, it's their nature. Kim couldn't be _changing_ and turning into a good fairy, with kind feelings and patience. That was _impossible_. Unless…

Kim's eyes widened in horror as she realized what happened.

**Flashback**

"_Do you want a candy?" Temari offered. Kim gave her a weird look and she sighed. "Oh, c'mon, relax! It's a gift, take it, you'll like it."_

_Kim hesitated but gave up and ate the candy. "It's… good," she murmured sheepishly. _

_Temari nodded. "It's cherry," she commented, grinning. _

**End of flashback**

A Keeping Promise Spell.

-

-

"So she totally fell for it?" TenTen asked with a smile on her face.

"_Yeah_," Temari answered in the other line of the phone, "_It was _so_ easy. I didn't think a fairy could be so naïve."_

"Sakura told me that Tsunade said fairies can be several centuries old," TenTen commented, "but they have a young person's mind. That means that they never mature or age, no matter what."

"_Wow… Hey, I gotta go. My dad's here and I don't want him to freak out if he hears me talking but can't see me there. Talk to you later!"_

"Okay, bye." TenTen hung up and opened the bathroom cubicle's door. She put her cell phone in her pocket and stood in front of the big mirror. She was fixing her hair, when she suddenly heard girls' voices. She recognized the annoying voices and rolled her eyes. It was Karin and her group of wannabe friends, a.k.a. Sasuke's fangirls.

For some reason, they thought they were the pretty popular girls and that they were powerful, having the right to kick everyone out of the bathroom if they wanted, as the bad girls they were. Some stupid, coward, shy or obedient girls used to ran away from them, but others, like TenTen and her friends, knew better.

But TenTen was alone now, her friends weren't there to back her up, and Karin and the other bitches would think she was weaker because she was alone. That wasn't true, but TenTen wasn't on the mood to discuss it, so she just ran back to the cubicle, closed the door and stood over the toilet, so they wouldn't see her feet and know she was there. The bathroom's door opened and TenTen heard them walking in. There were 4 girls there, including Karin.

"So, what do you think I should do, Karin?" one of the girls said. "Should I say yes?"

"Ugh, of course not!" Karin replied. "He is _so_ lame; he doesn't disserve someone like you! Besides, if people hear one of my friends is going out with _him_, my reputation will be finished!"

"Um, yeah, _duh_," the girl replied, with a nervous tone. "You're right Karin, you're always right. But… really, I mean, he's not _that_ bad. Sure, he's kind of a smart boy-"

"NERD!"

"-but he's cute and I think he, well, he _really _likes me."

"Aw, how naïve…" Karin sighed. "It's obvious that he just wants you because you're popular, Ami, don't be a fool." The other two girls laughed with Karin, and TenTen could guess why the Ami girl wasn't. Karin was such a bitch, always making others feel miserable so she could feel greater. The worst part of it was that some people believed everything she said and obeyed her orders.

"Anyways, let's talk about more important things," Karin ordered. "Don't you think this new lip gloss is fabulous?"

"Totally!" three voices said in unison.

"I know! It looks so good on my lips!" Karin exclaimed happily.

"Everything looks good in you, Karin!" a girl said. TenTen wanted to vomit because of so much hypocrisy. They started talking about nonsense stuff for a while, until something caught her attention.

"So, changing the subject, we have to decide what we are going to do with Haruno, girls. We have two plans, and we have to choose one. Let's make it a vote, okay?"

TenTen frowned. Did she hear Karin well? What were they going to do with Sakura? She quickly realized it had to do with Sasuke, because it was well known that Karin became a fangirl again when he broke up with her to be with Sakura and she never got over it, not even now, after almost 3 months. She also realized that she was talking about a vengeance – what else could be?

Karin continued. "If you choose plan A_: Destroying Pink Haired Freak's life_, raise your hand!" She made a short pause. "Okay, so I guess no one will want plan B: _Giving up In Sasuke and Getting a Life_, because we all want plan A. So, ladies, plan A starts tomorrow."

The girls started laughing. TenTen heard the door opening and their voices faded away until she couldn't hear them anymore. After the door closed, TenTen came out of the cubicle. She stared at the door with widened eyes. The pink haired freak was Sakura (who else had pink hair in the school?) and Karin and her bitches were trying to destroy her life!

"Oh, crap," she muttered. Feeling panicked, she took her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Ino's cell phone's number.

"_Hello?_" Ino's voice said from the other line.

"Ino!" TenTen exclaimed. "I have something very important to tell you!"

"TenTen? Hey, where the hell are you? And what's wrong?"

"I'm in the bathroom. I was talking to Temari – I mean, the _real _Temari."

"Really? What did she tell you? Hey, hold on, she's like a ghost right now, isn't she? How can she speak on the phone?"

"I don't know! She said she's invisible but she can touch things, and—wait, that is not the point! I have something to tell you, it's something _very _important and I need you to meet me here, in the girl's bathroom, with the other girls – especially with Sakura, she has to come."

"Okay, okay, you seem kind of panicked… We'll be there in a minute."

"Fine, I'll be waiting."

TenTen hung up. With a hand on her forehead, she started walking around the room, impatient and worried. _Those bitches!_ She thought. _I can't believe Karin still wants revenge. Why can't she get over it? It's been like three freaking months! How pathetic… What is she planning now?_

-

-

Ino pushed the doors open, Hinata and Sakura behind her. They entered the girl's restroom and saw TenTen walking around the place, biting her nails nervously. The brunette looked up at them and sighed with relief.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as the door closed behind Hinata. "I have something to tell you, girls."

"Is something wrong? What happened?" Ino asked, frowning. The mystery was killing her.

"Yes, something's wrong, _very_ wrong." TenTen took a deep breath. After a short pause, she spoke again. "I was here in the bathroom, talking with Temari. When I hung up, I heard Karin's voice and I hid in a cubicle. They didn't notice I was here so they started talking. Karin said something about a plan named '_Destroying Pink Haired Freak's life'_ and Sasuke." Sakura gasped. "And the rest you can guess…"

"Oh my God," Hinata said, "they're trying to do something against Sakura! But, why now? It's been a long time since Sasuke broke up with Karin because of Sakura. I thought she was over him."

"I think she's still angry because she lost," Ino replied. "If I was her, I would still be hurt because of the humiliation of having someone taking away my boyfriend…She wants revenge, but it has nothing to do with loving Sasuke. She just wants her pride back."

Sakura sighed. "I should have expected this to happen sooner or later. Of course she's still angry with me! I took him away from her."

"But we can't let her destroy your life Sakura!" TenTen said. "I mean, you don't disserve it. It's not your fault Sasuke loves you and not her. She has to _move on_."

"I agree," Ino said, "we have to stop her."

"But what are we going to do?" Hinata said from behind Ino, staring at the floor with a worried expression. "We don't even know what exactly her plan is."

Nobody responded. It was true. They didn't know how she was going to destroy her life. How could they stop her? They thought and thought, trying to guess her move and planning how to stop her, but… nothing.

"I guess we'll have to wait," Ino finally spoke, "we have no clue of what's she is going to do."

"And then they attack her in surprise? I don't think so." TenTen shook her head and put her hands on her hips.

"But then what do we do?" Sakura asked. "We can't – _Oh, I know_!" Her exclamation made her friends jump with surprise. "We can make friends with one of her friends and tell her to tell us what she's planning. I don't think they can be so loyal to that bitch."

"Yes…" A beam smile appeared on TenTen's face slowly. "That's a good idea, Sakura! Before they started talking about the plan, one of the girls was telling something about a loser she think is cute that asked her out and Karin told her not to go, but she didn't agree with her, even though she didn't tell her. That means she hates her right now, and she can use us for her revenge. She's perfect!"

"Yeah!" Ino exclaimed. "But who was this girl?"

"I think Karin called her Ami or something like that..."

"Okay, so we have our own plan, girls," Sakura announced, smirking. "I can't wait to see Karin's face when she discovers it."

-

-

"That girl… UGH, she's _unbelievable_!"

Kim was walking in the school's garden, with a furious expression on her face. She couldn't have fun today! She wanted to go back to Temari's house and make the girl pay for bewitching her. How _could_ she? She was a fairy, she _helped_ her! But Kim knew she had the fault. She accepted the candy, after all.

"But, still… she _tricked_ me!"

She didn't care the people around stared at her like if she was crazy. She had to unleash her anger, at least by talking alone. She hid behind a tree and sat in its thick roots. _But there's nothing I can do now,_ she thought, staring at her feet and frowning, _the spell will expire in 24 hours. I'll have to wait. No matter how bored I am, thre's no other option._

Suddenly, Kim heard voices coming to her. She put her back against the tree's trunk and wished they wouldn't see her. _I wanted to be alone_; she thought angrily, _why won't they go to another place?! _

"Shut up, girls!" a feminine voice hissed and the giggles stopped. Kim thought the voice was kind of familiar but couldn't remember who it was.

Kim found herself curious to know what they were doing. They were at the other side of the tree and she could hear them perfectly. She could even hear the continuous '_bip_' sound coming from a cell phone, like when you're calling someone and waiting for the person to pick up the phone. Kim decided it wasn't wrong to hear a little; she arrived there first, after all.

"C'mon… pick up the phone!" the same girl that shut the others up groaned.

"_Hello?"_ A low, husky voice said from the cell phone. Kim could barely hear it.

"Hi, um… Sasori?"

"_Yes… who is it?"_

"My name is Karin. Do you remember me? Red hair, glasses, nice body…"

"_Oh, yeah, sure, you're that chick from the bar! Listen, err… I'm sorry I didn't call, I didn't have time…" _

"Oh, its okay, I understand. But I'm not calling because of that."

"_Really? Then what do you want me for?"_

"You'll see… I have a, um, _friend,_ named Sakura. She's _really_ pretty, even though her forehead is huge - but she's okay, I guess. She's kind of depressed because nobody wants her and her boyfriend is with her because of a bet he made – she doesn't knows about the bet, of course, but she can feel he doesn't love her. She's a very good friend of mine and I don't want her to be sad, so I remembered _you_, the sweet, kind and _very_ handsome guy I met in a bar some time ago, and I thought you were perfect for her. I hope you're still single?"

"_Yes, I am."_

"Great! Could you make me this favor, please? Just try to make her feel better. It's something good for you – I mean, she's not ugly; it's just that she can't realize that because of her very low self-esteem. But if you show her how loved she is, then she would fall in love with you and you'd have a beautiful girlfriend!"

"_Mmmh... I see. So you just want me to ask her out, flirt with her, make her feel better and then maybe we can end up together? I don't know, Karin…"_

"Aw, c'mon, Sasori! At least you can have some fun… "

"…_Fine. I think I don't have better things to do."_

"Oh my god! _Thank you_! You don't know how grateful and happy I am." The other girls giggled.

"_So what should I do? Where do I meet her?"_

"Well, if I tell her to go to a blind date she'll say no, but maybe you can come to my school and I can show you who she is, then you try to be her friend, and then you flirt and things like that. Just remember: be very discreet."

"_Okay, I got it. So when and where do we meet?"_

"What about tomorrow at 11 am, when my lunch time is? I assist to Konohagakure High School; do you know where it is?"

"_Yes, of course, it is that high school with a huge garden connected to a forest. I used to assist there."_

"Awesome! Then see you tomorrow, okay?"

"_Sure, bye."_

She pressed the cell phone's key to finish the call. The group of girls squealed. "Karin, you're a _genius_!" someone said. Their voices started fading away and Kim realized they were gone.

Karin. Kim remembered that name. Wasn't she the red haired girl that was Sasuke's ex girlfriend, the one he broke up with to be with Sakura? Kim remembered that when she helped Sakura with the spell, her boy had a girlfriend, but she could bewitch him because he wasn't in love with her. If he would have been in love with her, she wouldn't have been able to make him fall for Sakura; fairies cannot make people stop loving someone if they didn't make them do it.

Karin had said something about Sakura. She said she was depressed and that her boyfriend didn't love her. Kim was confused and a little angry. Of course that Sasuke boy loved her! She made sure of it, right? And she did her job well! What Karin had said was a lie. Besides, the pink haired girl wasn't depressed at all. She was very happy because the spell worked, right? Maybe a little frustrated on having Kim wanting her pay, but Sakura hated the fact of losing her boyfriend so much that she was willing to pay her.

Karin's lie didn't make sense for her. And why did she want another guy to flirt with Sakura? Wouldn't that make Sasuke jealous? Wouldn't that affect their relationship?

Her mind clicked. How couldn't she realize before? It was _so_ clear! Karin wanted revenge; she wanted to make them break up. _What a bitch…_ Kim thought, _what a genius bitch!_ Suddenly, Kim liked that Karin girl – she was as bitch as her.

Kim wasted her time and magic dust to make Sasuke love Sakura, and now Karin was going to finish that. But she also wanted revenge for what Temari did to her. Kim decided that maybe letting her friend being hurt was a good vengeance, and that she was going to pretend she didn't know it.

_Thank you, Karin,_ Kim thought with a smirk on her face. At least she did have fun today.

-

-

"Ki- I mean, Temari!"

Kim turned around to see Sakura, Ino, TenTen and Hinata walking to her. She hadn't seen them until now, when the classes were finally over.

She waited for them and smiled. "Hi, girls."

"Yeah, hi," Ino said. "Listen, we have to talk with Temari about something, so we'll follow you to her house, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"All right." Ino smiled. "Tell your brothers we'll go behind you. See you later."

Kim nodded, turned around and continued walking to the parking lot where Temari's brothers waited for her in the car. The four girls watched her walk away with surprise and curiosity.

"She really seems different," commented Sakura.

"And calmer," added Hinata. "The spell actually worked. Do you think she realized?"

"Of course she did," TenTen responded. "It's like if a snake has its poison missing. It's impossible not to notice."

The girls continued walking to the parking lot and got into their cars, Sakura and Ino in Ino's car and Hinata and TenTen in TenTen's car. They followed Kankuro's car and parked in front of their house when they arrived. They got out of the cars and meet Temari's brother in the door.

"It's been a long time since you came to the house, girls," Kankuro said smiling.

"Yeah, that's true," Sakura replied, smiling back. "We miss it."

Gaara opened the door and they all stepped in.

"We'll be upstairs in my bedroom," '_Temari_' said to her brothers. The girls didn't give them time to answer; they literally ran away.

"I wonder what girls do in a girl's bedroom…" Gaara muttered. Kankuro smirked and raised his eyebrows up and down. Gaara stared at him; he needed just two seconds to understand what his brother was hinting. "Ugh, Kankuro, you're a _pig_!"

Kankuro laughed. "You can't deny you would like that."

-

-

Temari jumped from her bed when her bedroom's door opened. She saw Kim and her four best friends, entering. She was glad to see them, but she raised an eyebrow when she saw their expressions. They were all frowning.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, walking to stand in front of them. Even though just Kim could see her, her friends still heard her voice.

"We have something to tell you, Temari," Ino responded. "It's about Karin."

"What about her?" Temari was already worried. Things having to do with Karin were never good.

"We'll tell you after you have you body back," TenTen said, glancing at Kim. She was hearing the conversation with innocence. When they looked at her, she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay…" Kim closed her eyes and put her hands together. A moment later, she appeared in front of them, with her own body.

Beside Hinata, Temari gasped and looked around. "Wow, that felt awesome!" she said.

"I know," Hinata commented, smiling.

"So, don't think I didn't realize about the spell, Temari," Kim said, glaring at Temari. "I will forgive this, but if someone of you tries to do it again, I will make you regret, got it?" The girls nodded, staring at her with slightly widened eyes. "All right, then the next one will be… Ino." Said girl bit her lower lip. "So, see you in 28 days. Bye!" And then the fairy disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"I wonder how she does that…" Temari muttered. "Anyways, now, would you explain me what about Karin, please?" She walked to stand in front of her four friends.

"Karin is planning something against me," Sakura said. "We don't know what, yet, but we know it's something that will '_destroy my life_', as she said."

"Does it have something to do with Sasuke?"

"He's the reason why she's doing this, of course," Hinata replied. "She wants revenge."

"Crap…" Temari sighed. "And what are we going to do to protect Sakura?"

"We thought that maybe we can make friends with one of her allies. Of course Karin's friends are not loyal to her, so one of them can tell us what's she's planning. We have the perfect candidate already," TenTen said.

"But don't you think she may fear her?"

TenTen shrugged. "We have to try."

-

-

Outside the window of Temari's room, Kim was hidden, hearing their conversation. A smirk of satisfaction appeared on her face. _Stupid humans, _she thought. _This is what you get for messing with me._

_

* * *

_

Notes: Wow, I hate my own character xD She's such as bitch... i also kind of hate Karin, but no that much :) I'll try to write next chapter soon; I'm on vacations, after all :D **Merry christmas by the way!! ;D** Don't forget to leave a review n,n


	8. Worries

Notes: **Helloooo~!** I updated :DDD This is a shorter chapter, and Kim doesn't appears ;) There's another OC now, the Ami girl. She's not important, she'll appear just in this chapter, I guess. Anyways, I was thinking about adding some GaaMatsu and ItaIno, what do you think? :3 OMG I didn't know how to name this chapter D: 'Worries' was the less lame idea I had ¬¬

Disclaimer: I own your soul, but I don't own Naruto. ):

* * *

**Chapter 8**

-

-

_Worries_

-

-

Temari fell asleep after her friends left. She was glad to be inside her body again, but also worried. Kim had discovered she used the Keeping Promise Spell on her and said that she wouldn't let them use it again. Although the fairy didn't cause problems in Temari's life, her friends were in danger, because they couldn't bewitch the fairy anymore. She was also worried about Karin trying to 'destroy' Sakura's life; they didn't know what she was going to do but they knew she was capable to do _anything _to get what she wants.

Temari had a lot of things in her mind, but she forgot about everything as she slept. She calmed herself dreaming about her Shikamaru. _Oh, how much I miss him_, she thought, _I can't wait to see him tomorrow._

-

-

The next day, when Temari arrived to school, she immediately saw Shikamaru as she got out of her car. She ran to him without even saying goodbye to her brothers. Shikamaru was entering the building and didn't see her, but when she called his name, he turned around.

"Shikamaru!" Temari exclaimed smiling. She reached for him as he stopped walking. "Hi," she said as she stood in front of him.

"Hi…" Shikamaru replied, forcing a smile. Temari frowned; he seemed awkward.

"Is something wrong?" she asked confused.

Shikamaru looked down at his feet, sighing. "I wanted to ask you the same thing."

His girlfriend raised an eyebrow. "Nothing's wrong. Not with me, of course. Why?"

"It seems like you're okay today," the boy said, still staring at his feet. "But yesterday you were different." Temari hold her breath; what did Kim do? "You see, I tried to talk to you, but you kept avoiding me. You were running away from me and I can't understand _why_. I mean… did I do something to upset you or something like that?"

Temari bit her lower lip. He seemed sad and embarrassed. She was _so_ upset, but not with him; she was upset with Kim, with herself, and with the whole situation! No matter how much she tried to stop Kim from hurting him, she still hurt him emotionally. But Temari knew she had the fault; she should have expected it to happen. Kim wasn't a bitch yesterday, but she was angry and she avoided everybody, even Shikamaru, and he had the right to be confused.

"Shikamaru…" Temari whispered, staring at him with sadness. "You… you didn't do anything wrong. I just… had a bad day… that's all. I'm so sorry I ignored you; it's just that I… I needed to be alone."

Shikamaru raised his head and smirked. "Is it something you girls usually suffer?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Hinata had a similar problem a month ago, Naruto told me about it. She was like, having a bad day and took it out with him."

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I remember." She smirked. "How can I forget the show she made in the cafeteria?"

"Yeah… So, what is your excuse?"

"Huh?"

"For being weird. Hinata's was that she had problems with her father. What's yours?"

"Ah… Um, well, it's something hard to confess…" Temari looked away. She didn't have an excuse! She had to think quickly, but she wasn't so good at it. _Shikamaru is going to suspect because of my hesitation_, she thought desperately.

"You can tell me, Temari." Shikamaru grabbed her hand. "You know you can trust me." His tone was sweet and Temari suddenly felt confident of herself. Whenever he supported her like that, she felt better.

"I know," she sighed, looking him in the eyes again, smiling. "Okay, you'll see… I had… Shikamaru, this is very intimate." When her boyfriend nodded, she continued. "I had… PMS."

"PMS?" he asked surprised.

"Yes." The blonde blushed and looked away. Was that the best excuse she could think of? _PMS_?! However, it seemed like Shikamaru believed it.

"Well, it's okay. I mean, you're a woman, you can't do anything. I'm sorry I made you feel… uncomfortable."

"It's fine. I should have explained it to you before."

Shikamaru leaned forward and kissed her. They entered the school holding hands.

-

-

Karin was waiting in the entrance of Konohagakure High School. She had her arms folded across her chest and was taping the floor with her foot impatiently. A frown adorned her face as she looked to the other side of the fence.

A car stopped at the other side of the street. Karin watched as a red haired young man got out of it and walked to where she was. Karin sighed when he stopped in front of her, at the other side of the fence.

"You're late!" she barked.

"I'm sorry," Sasori responded, smirking. He looked so handsome when he did that… Karin rolled her eyes and controlled herself before she started drooling.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Listen, it's closed, so can you jump the fence?"

"…Are you serious?"

Karin raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Sasori took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. He looked up and checked how tall the fence was. He had climbed taller fences before. He climbed the fence and 5 seconds later, he was at the other side, beside Karin.

"So, where is she?" he asked.

Karin smirked. This was _so_ going to work. "Follow me."

-

-

Sakura was putting her books inside her locker. After that, she was going to go to the cafeteria to meet with her friends and discuss about their plan to discover what Karin's plan was. When she was about to close her locker, something fell from inside of it. Sakura raised an eyebrow to the little paper in the floor. _What is that_, she thought. She didn't remember to have any papers there, just books.

She picked it up and read it.

_Sakura,_

_I have to talk to you about something important. Meet me in the garden,_

_-Sasuke._

Sakura blinked. About _what _would he want to talk? Sasuke wasn't the type of person that writes something instead of telling it face to face. _If he wants to tell me something, he would have come and talk to me, _she thought_. But, if I don't go, he may get mad at me; I know how he much hates unpunctual people._

Sakura decided lunch time could wait. She went to the garden and searched for her boyfriend everywhere. She was about to give up, because she couldn't find him, until she heard some people talking behind a tree. There was no one else around. She heared a deep male's voice and she guessed it could be Sasuke, so she started walking to where the voices were coming from.

-

-

"So, she's coming here now?" Sasori asked.

"Yes, she is. Remember, she has short pink hair, bright green eyes and a huge forehead," Karin answered.

"Okay, got it."

"Remember to tell her she's pretty. Right now you just need to be her friend, don't try to flirt too much, but make clear that you are attracted to her."

"And what if I think she's ugly?"

The red haired girl rolled her eyes. "Then at least lie and make her feel better. Remember it's just a little favor and that if you don't like her then you won't have to see her again." Sasori nodded. "Okay, so I'm gonna leave now. Bye and good luck!"

Karin ran away, leaving him there, alone. Was that really a good idea? He didn't know. He didn't even know why he accepted to do that. Perhaps he could like the girl but she was at least three or four years younger than him. If he just wanted to have fun, wasn't playing with a girl a wrong way?

Before he could even answer that mental question, he heard someone walking to where he was.

"Sasuke?" a feminine voice said.

And then he saw her, coming from behind a tree. She was exactly as Karin described her, but she never said how pretty she really was. _How can _she_ have a low self-esteem? Is she blind or something?_ Sasori wondered. He didn't realize he was staring at her until she stared back at him, with those bright, big emerald eyes.

"Um, sorry," she muttered. "I thought you were someone else." She turned around, ready to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Sasori called her. She stopped and turned around. "Were… were you looking for someone?"

"Yes," she replied. "But he's not here…" She made a pause, looking around suspiciously. "Hey, weren't you talking with someone else?"

"Huh? Um… yeah, but she already left."

Sakura nodded slowly. She examined the guy: red spiky hair, brown eyes, athletic body, and very good looking. Yes, she had a boyfriend, but not just because of that she couldn't just check other guys out, right? She wasn't cheating on Sasuke or anything. Sakura also noticed the guy wasn't wearing the school uniform and that he seemed even older than the 12th grade boys.

"You're not from this school…" she said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Sasori hesitated for a second, trying to think of an excuse. "I came to deliver something to my sister. It was an emergency so I had to come."

"How did you get in?"

He smirked. "I jumped the fence." Sakura nodded slowly. "Excuse me… May I say you're very beautiful?"

Sakura gave him a _what-the-hell _look before she started laughing. "Are you high?"

_So she really thinks she's ugly…_ "No, I'm not. I'm just honest. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Sakura laughed again. "Yeah, I do. I was actually looking for him."

"Well, he's very lucky. I hope he values you as you disserve."

Smiling, Sakura gave her an incredulous look. "Are you flirting with me?"

Sasori smirked and shrugged. "Not exactly, I just like to tell pretty ladies how beautiful they are. Sometimes girls underestimate themselves, you know? Their insecurities don't let them realize how gorgeous they are and that's wrong."

"So you tell pretty ladies how pretty they are to make them feel good?" Sasori nodded. "And… then you have sex with them?"

Sasori's eyes widened. "No, that wasn't what I meant, you're misunderstanding."

"Yeah, right." She smirked and turned around, not even paying attention to the guy pleading her to wait. _What an asshole_, she thought

-

-

Ino was rolling on the floor of the cafeteria at lunch time. She was laughing so hard, that she had tears on her eyes. People stared at her, but she didn't care.

"It's not _that_ funny, Ino," Temari hissed, glaring at the blonde girl in the floor.

"But it _is_ funny!" TenTen said, responding for her friend, who was laughing too hard to talk.

Ino stood up from the floor, wiping away the tears in her eyes. She sat beside TenTen, and when her laughs stopped, she sighed. "Okay, I'm done laughing."

"Thank God," Temari murmured, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, guys," Sakura greeted, taking a sit beside Ino.

"Where were you, Forehead?" Ino asked, frowning.

"Ugh, I got a note from Sasuke saying he'll meet me in the garden to tell me something important, but I couldn't find him. Instead, I found some guy and he started flirting with me."

"_Uhh_! Was he hot?"

"Um, kind of… But he wasn't even from the school! Besides, I have a boyfriend, and you have one, too, Ino. Can't you stop being a slut for a moment?" Sakura smirked as Ino stuck the tongue out at her. "So, what did I miss?"

"Temari was telling us Kim ignored Shikamaru yesterday and that he was hurt," Hinata explained. "So she had to tell him she had…" she snickered, "_PMS_, and that that was why she was so weird."

Sakura started laughing. "Oh, my god, _are you serious_? At least he believed you, right?" Temari nodded. "But, really, couldn't you think of another excuse less… embarrassing?" And she continued laughing.

Temari glared at her lap. Sakura was right. She could have said she was having problems with her family, or that she fought with one of her friends… but she decided to say she was having _Premenstrual Syndrome_. Well, she wasn't a spontaneous girl, but at least her excuse worked!

"Okay so now that you shared with us that _interesting_ success," Sakura said, smirking, "we have to deal with something very important: Ami."

"Ami…" TenTen repeated. "Oh, right! We have to find her - alone."

"I used to talk to her," Hinata commented. "She was on my Math class last year and she was very good with algebra. I once asked her to explain me something and we were kind of friends, but I don't talk to her anymore."

"Maybe you can be the one that talks with her," Temari proposed. "I mean, you're the only one of us that knows her a little. You can go and start chatting with her and then suddenly make her confess what Karin's plans are."

"You mean… pretend to be her friend again and use her? Isn't that wrong?"

"You don't have to put it that way, Hinata. I know you hate dishonesty, but we have to help Sakura. You don't want Karin to hurt her, do you?" The Hyuga shook her head. "You just have to talk with her, like if you want to know how she is; act friendly and then mention Karin."

"You can say something like: '_Oh, do you _really_ consider her your friend?_'" Ino suggested. "And she will say: '_Um… not exactly. She's a bitch sometimes_.' And you'll say: '_Really? And why don't you like her?_' And then she'll tell you her reason and she may mention what she wants to do to Sakura and you'll be like: '_Oh, gosh_!' and you can leave the rest to us."

"Yeah, you can do that," Sakura said. "But, if you don't really want to do it, it's going to be fine, Hinata. We can find another way, so don't be worried. We don't wanna force you."

Hinata thought for a minute. "No," she said, smiling at Sakura, "I'll do it… for you."

Sakura smiled. "Aw, Hinata, thank you!"

-

-

Hinata was walking to her next class after lunch. She was kind of nervous because she remembered Ami was in that class too, which meant that it was when she had to carry out her mission. She entered the classroom just as the bell rang.

She searched with the look Ami's orange hair. When she saw her, sitting at the back of the classroom, she ran to sit down in the empty seat beside her.

"Hi!" Hinata greeted smiling. "Do you remember me?"

"Hi," Ami responded, blinking. "Um, yeah, I remember you… Hinata, right?" The blue haired girl nodded. Ami smiled friendly. "How have you been?"

"Great! We haven't talk in a long time."

"Yeah… I guess."

In that moment, the teacher arrived to the classroom and the class started.

"Good morning, people," the teacher said. "Today we're going to make an exam." The students moaned and groaned in disagree. "Hey, don't be so pessimistic! It's going to be a different kind of exam, and it's going to be fun! You're going to work with a partner; one will name a country and the other will say what is its capital, the language people speak in there or in which continent it is localized. I'll give you the sheets and you'll have to answer them. As soon as you have your exam, you may start. You have until the class is over to finish."

The teacher started giving out the exams to everyone. Hinata suddenly had an idea. They were allowed to talk during the exam, so if she was teamed with Ami, she could carry out her mission easily.

"Hey, Ami?" Hinata asked to the girl beside her. "Do you want to be my partner?"

"Um, sure, why not," she responded, shrugging.

They started with the exam. Hinata knew most of the answers, but Ami had it difficult. It seemed like being popular didn't mean to be smart too. When they were about to finish, and it was Hinata's turn to ask, she decided it was time to change the subject.

"So… are you still Karin's friend?" Ami nodded in response. "Ohh… um, this may sound rude, but… do you really _like_ her? I mean, _why_ are you her friend?"

Ami chuckled. "I know people say she's a bitch and everything but she's not that bad."

"Ami…" Hinata whispered, frowning, "She _is _bad. We all know she's cruel and arrogant. Don't lie to me."

Ami stared at Hinata with surprise. After a moment, she pursued her lips and sighed, staring at her lap. "I'm sorry… But I don't want to tell you the reason I'm her friend. It's something very personal."

At that moment, Hinata didn't really care about knowing about Karin's plan against Sakura. Ami seemed disturbed, and Hinata was worried. She always worried about persons and had the need to help them, and this wasn't going to be an exception.

She put a hand over her shoulder. "Listen… You can talk to me, Ami. I know we're not _that_ close, but I guess we were kind of friends once, even if we just talked about algebra. You seem upset about something, and I would like to hear you… and I'll do my best to help you. If you could just trust me…"

Ami didn't respond for a moment, until she raised her head and looked at Hinata in the eyes. "I… I don't know… But I really need someone to hear me and an advice. Karin and the others are not that kind of friends, the ones you can trust; they just talk about parties, and boys, and make up, and gossip…"

"But I am a friend you can trust," Hinata smiled sweetly.

After hesitating for a moment, Ami sighed. "Okay, I guess you really seem a nice friend, Hinata…

"You see, I was new in town two years ago. When I arrived to this school, I met Karin, and I… I _admired _her. She was everything I wasn't: popular, pretty, rich, had a lot of friends, the boys wanted her, the girls envied her… I had always wanted to be like that. In my other school, I was the typical nerd girl with no friends, but when I made friends with Karin, everything changed. I was popular, not as much as her, of course, but it was something new to me, and my dream was coming true. I was so close to be like her.

"My desire grew when she started dating Sasuke Uchiha. When I first saw him, I totally liked him – I mean, he's super handsome. That was when I joined the club of Sasuke's fangirls. I was so jealous, because Karin and Sasuke were perfect and they made a perfect couple. I wanted to make a perfect couple with him someday, so I wished to be like Karin even more."

"So…" Hinata said, when Ami finished talking, "you're her friend just because you want to be like her, because you admire her?" Ami nodded. Hinata sighed. "Listen, Ami, Karin is not as perfect as you think…"

"I know that." Hinata raised an eyebrow at her. "She's selfish, shallow and pathetic. You really thought I didn't realize before?" Ami chuckled. "I did, Hinata. But I don't want to be like her in that way; I just want to have what she has."

Hinata blinked. "But, Ami… you can get that with just being yourself. You don't have to imitate anyone. The best thing you can do is to be original."

"Be myself?" Ami repeated incredulously. "Hah, I don't think so. The real Ami would never be popular. The real Ami likes reading and studying and more nerd stuff. The capital of Germany," she pointed her exam, "I got it wrong, but I knew the right answer. I am smart but I can't let people know that because a popular girl doesn't get straight A's, right? "

"Why do you _lie_ to yourself?" Hinata asked, frowning. "Does that make you _happy_?"

"Yes, because I'm doing what I want and I do what I think it's the best for me," she responded. "You may think I'm wrong, and if you're right, I'll find out by myself, but neither of us knows that. I have to believe, Hinata, I have to try."

"I guess you're right in that," Hinata sighed. Suddenly, she remembered what she had to do. She decided to go back to Karin. "Um… and I'm curious about something, Ami."

"About what?"

"Well, you said you already knew Karin wasn't perfect; you said she was selfish, shallow and pathetic. How did you discover that?"

"Well, at first I really believed she was perfect. But as the time past, I realized she's insecure in the inside. You remember when she was dating Sasuke, how jealous she was? She kept keeping the fangirls away from him because she was afraid Sasuke would leave her for one of us. If she dated her, who used to be a fangirl before that, why wouldn't he date another? That was my first realization. Then when he left her for this girl, - what was her name? Oh, right, Sakura - she was so angry and now she's planning to take revenge on her for stealing her boyfriend. I mean, isn't that kind of pathetic?"

"Yeah…" Hinata murmured. Ami had finally mentioned what she wanted to hear and she was getting nervous. "I mean, she should get over it, right? Why would she want vengeance? He won't come back with her, anyways."

"That's exactly what I thought!" Ami exclaimed. "She thinks that if some other guy flirts with Skura she's going to leave Sasuke? Really, how stupid is that?" She laughed.

"Another guy?" Hinata asked surprised. She quickly hid her commotion. "Uh, I mean, really? How stupid! Ha, ha."

"Yeah… I actually told her it wouldn't work, you know? She almost killed me," she laughed again. "But she said a stupid excuse of '_maybe Sasuke would see them, get jealous and broke up with her_'. But, really, the guy loves her - no matter how much I hate that, I have to accept it. But in the end I had to be in favor of the idea."

"Uh, yeah… I agree, her plan isn't very smart…"

"I know," she chuckled. "Anyways, let's stop talking about that. I heard you're Naruto's girlfriend?"

"Uh, oh, yeah," Hinata replied, blushing.

They started talking about other things and finished their exams. The bell rang and they left.

"See you later, Hinata," Ami said, waving goodbye. Hinata smiled and waved goodbye too. Ami left the classroom but she stayed there for a minute, still shocked. Now she knew what Karin was planning, and Sakura wouldn't like it.

* * *

Notes: **LALALALALA~!** I love to write notes, it's just so stupid, JUST LIKE ME! :DDD But I have a recomendation for you, my lovely reader! D: Read the manga 'Midnight Secretary' if you love SasuSaku and think of the characters as Sasuke and Sakura ;D That's what I've been doing lately, and it's the less stupid way to loose your time :) Also listen to _Chiodos_! They're awesome :B ...You'll leave me a review, right? :3


	9. We can just hope now

Notes: OHMIGOSH OHMIGOSH OHMIGOSH!! **I. Hate. Myself**. I haven't updated since last year?!! Are you freaking _seriouss_!!?? Man... I spent three hours finishing this chapter, & just because you, my loyal readers ;) I know it's kinda shorter, but I just want you to know that I'm still alive and loving this story! n,n But, I have a life, you know? I've been busy :L & I'M A TEENAGER, FOR GOD'S SAKE, SO DON'T BLAME ME!! DD: Er, anyways; I'm really sorry for making you wait, but I promise I'll be more responsible from now on ;D

_**&HAPPY NEW YEAR!!**_

Disclaimer: Even in 2010, I still do not own the characters of this story. D:

* * *

**Chapter nine**

-

-

_We can just hope now_

-

-

Hinata's next class was Chemistry, and there she would find Sakura, who was the first person that had to know what she discovered.

She arrived to the classroom just in time before the teacher arrived. The pink haired girl was sitting in the front row, and Hinata ran to sit behind her.

"Ami told me everything. You are not going to believe it," she whispered as she past by her. Sakura's eyes widened and she turned to stare at her friend with shock and confusion, but before she could say a word, the teacher arrived and the class started.

Forty five minutes seemed like an eternity to Sakura, even though she liked chemistry. She kept tapping her nails on the desk anxiously, desperately wanting to know what Ami told to Hinata. What would be so bad? A bomb in her locker? Gum in her hair? Or was Karin really so much of a psychopath to dare to kill her? Sakura wondered and wondered, feeling angry, but scared at the same time.

Finally, the bell rang. Sakura jumped at the high-pitched sound and stood up quickly, turning around to face Hinata. Her friend stood up slowly, and Sakura noticed the worried expression in her pale face.

"Uh…" Sakura muttered, "So?"

Hinata stared at her feet and bit her lower lip. A moment later, she raised her head and stared at Sakura with anxiety. "She's trying to put another boy between you and Sasuke," she murmured, and Sakura's eyes widened. Hinata continued: "She-"

"Hyuga Hinata?" a voice said from the classroom's door. Sakura and Hinata jumpred of surprises and looked at the person in the door.

"Yes…?" Hinata said, raising an eyebrow. What was the secretary Shizune doing there?

Shizune smiled politely. "Your father is here. He says he'll pick you up now."

Hinata blinked. "N-Now? But, why?"

"I don't know, Hinata. But he seems to be in a rush, so I advise you to hurry up."

Hinata sighed sadly and nodded. She turned Sakura. "Sorry, Sakura, she's right; my dad hates to wait." She smiled apologetic. "I'll tell you the rest later, okay? I promise."

Sakura sighed. She nodded and smiled a little. "It's okay, don't worry. And thanks for everything, by the way."

Hinata smiled. "It was nothing." She grabbed her backpack and walked to Shizune. "Bye, Sakura," she said, waving her hand to her friend, before leaving the classroom.

Sakura smiled weakly and waved her goodbye. When they finally left, Sakura sighed sadly. Well, she could wait a little bit more, couldn't she? At least Hinata did tell her something. '_She's trying to put another boy between you and Sasuke'_, was what she said. That was horrible, but predictable coming from Karin a.k.a. the major bitch in school. However, it was something Sakura could manage.

_If she likes playing dirty, I am going to play dirty too_, Sakura thought with a smirk, as she grabbed her backpack and left the empty classroom.

-

-

**Twenty eight days later…**

The classes were over and Ino stood in front on the entrance as the students exited the school. She saw a familiar face between the crowd, and a smile appeared in her face instantly. She was used to that to happen, to feel her heart beating faster and her skin burning pleasantly every time she saw that face, either if she wanted or not.

Sai's eyes met hers and a small smirk appeared in his pale face. Ino felt her heart stopping for a moment when she saw that sparkle in his dark eyes. Every time he looked at her like that, she thought that she was dreaming, and that she really didn't want to wake up.

The blonde waited as he walked to her, never looking away from her eyes. Sai hold her hands in his and pecked her lips. Ino smiled at him. Could life get any more perfect? She guessed not. With a boyfriend like him, anything could wake her up from this beautiful dream.

"Hi," Ino murmured, staring into his eyes dreamly. She knew she looked stupid, but she didn't care.

"So… What are we gonna do today?" Sai asked, smirking.

"I don't know," Ino answered, pursing her lips. "I have _a lot_ of homework."

"Oh, it's okay." He shrugged, running his fingers through Ino's long ponytail slowly, making her feel thousands of butterflies in her stomach. "I mean, you're a responsible student. I don't blame you for that."

Ino smiled. He understood her so well… How cute! She definitely couldn't have a better boyfriend than him.

"But, what about tonight?" Sai asked, caressing her cheek with his palm. "We can go to watch the stars in that place I brought you last weekend. Do you remember?"

"Yeah! It was so romantic!" Ino exclaimed, remembering the beautiful scene of them lying on the grass, holding hands, while he explained her about the constellations. Of course she wanted to do that again, but… It had been almost a month since the last time Kim came back. The moon was going to be full that night, and the fairy was going to visit Ino to take her body for a day the next morning, because she was the next after Temari.

"But I can't," Ino continued, making a sad face. "I'm gonna be busy."

"Really? Doing what?"

She couldn't tell him that a fairy was going to take her body the next morning, could she? So, it was the perfect situation to do what she did best. "Well, my homework, of course."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "But are you _really_ going to need so much time?"

"Yes, of course!" Ino exclaimed. "I _told you_ I _really_ have _a lot_ of homework. I wasn't lying. Or you thought I was lying? You think I am a _liar_, Sai?!"

"N-No!" Sai's eyes widened with fear. He didn't like the angry Ino. "I- I mean, you never lie to me, I know that."

"So you don't suspect?" Ino asked, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"No!"

"Then don't question my reasons, honey!" she exclaimed, smiling cheerfully. It was incredible how her mood changed so easily.

Ino leaned forward and kissed his lips. "Hey, I got to go, okay? See you tomorrow!"

And with that, she turned around and walked away, leaving a confused Sai scratching his head behind.

-

-

When Ino arrived to her home, she spent the entire evening hiding her personal stuff, like her diary, in places where Kim would never find them. She also wondered what she would do as a "ghost" for twenty four hours_. Maybe spying that hot neighbor while he's in the shower…_ she thought, but then shook her head. _Oh, no Ino! Bad girl! Remember Sai! You have a boyfriend now, so behave!_

The night finally came and Ino had fallen asleep in her bed, tired of hiding so much stuff. She was woken up the next morning by a hand shaking her shoulder violently.

"… Girl!" She heard someone yelling, but she was too tired to recognize the voice. "Wake up!"

Ino growled and opened her eyes slowly. She blinked and the blur image of a girl's face became clear enough to her to remember it. She jumped away and gasped, completely awake now.

"K-Kim!" she stuttered. Kim stood up in front of her, with her hands in her hips and looking annoyed. Ino sighed and moved away some hair covering her forehead. "Dude, you scared the hell out of me!"

The fairy rolled her blue eyes. "It was the same with everyone…" she muttered. "Anyways, I'm tired of waiting. So stand up already. We're starting the change."

"The change?" Ino repeated confused, doing what Kim told her to. "What change?"

"What do you think?" Kim said sarcastically, walking to stand about two meters away from where Ino stood.

Ino's eyes widened. "Ohh! You mean, _that_ change? You getting inside of my body and I becoming a ghost?"

"No, the other change," Kim said, still sarcastic, putting her hands together and closing her eyes.

Ino frowned. "Uh?"

Kim sighed and frowned. "_Yes_, Ino, the change of me getting inside of your body and you becoming a ghost! Just SHUT THE HELL UP and let me do this, _okay_?!"

"Fine!" Ino said, and then murmured: "How grumpy…"

Kim just growled; she did heard that. But she continued focusing on what she was doing. Ino blinked once and when she opened her eyes again, she was at the other side of her bedroom, just where Kim had been standing, and in front of her was a girl that looked _exactly_ like her…

"OHMIGOSH!" Ino gasped. "YOU'RE ME! I mean, you're still you and I'm still me, but now you're inside of _me_, so you're practically me, but _I _am-"

"Shut_ up_," Kim ordered, rubbing her (Ino's) temples. "God, don't you close your mouth for a second? I'm having a headache… well, _you_ are having a headache, but it is bothering _me_."

Ino smirked proudly. "Don't worry, that's just who I am."

"A loud annoying blonde with no brains?"

"Exactly." Pause. "HEY!"

"Whatever." Kim rolled her eyes and then headed for the bathroom. Ino followed her.

"Hey, what are you going to do?" Ino asked her suspiciously as Kim stared at her reflection in the mirror, combing her hair with a comb that she found in the sink.

"I'm making you look good," the fairy answered. "Because I won't enjoy my day if everyone's staring at your body like if I was inside of a monster, right?"

"I don't look like a monster when my hair is messy, you know?" Ino smirked proudly. "I'm naturally beautiful."

Kim snorted, but didn't say anything else. Ino watched her as she fixed her hair and her makeup, and then she helped her choose clothes to wear.

When Kim was ready, she left the room. "Have fun!" Ino yelled at her from her door as Kim ran downstairs.

When her body was out of sight, she sighed tiredly, closed the door, and sat down in the floor. She hoped everything would be alright. It was kind of unfair she didn't get the chance to use the Keeping Promise Spell like Temari did, but she couldn't try it. Kim would get very angry and an angry Kim didn't sound too good.

_So I can just hope_, Ino thought, falling asleep again. She really needed a little bit more rest.

-

-

When Sakura arrived to school, she was desperate to find Hinata. She needed to know the other details of Karin's plan, like who was going to be the boy, or when it was going to happen, and where. However, as she entered the classroom, someone stopped her.

"AHHHH!" screamed Naruto, tears falling down his tanned cheeks. Sakura stared at him with shock and he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, almost crushing her body.

"Naruto!" Sakura said. "What's wrong?!"

"HINATAAA!" he screamed in her shoulder. "SHE- SHE- SHE'S _GONEEEE_!"

Sakura frowned. "Wha-?"

"Sakura!" yelled a familiar voice. Sakura saw TenTen waving at her from over Naruto's shoulder.

"TenTen!"

The brunette ran over to them. She opened her mouth to start talking, but Naruto started crying harder. TenTen frowned, gripped Naruto's shirt, and threw him away from Sakura. Naruto curled up in a ball in the floor, and an annoyed Temari ran to him, patted his back and murmured "It's going to be okay" again and again to him.

"What the hell did he mean?" Sakura asked immediately to her friend.

TenTen sighed, and Sakura realized she looked extremely worried. That worried her even more, too. TenTen wasn't the kind of girl who worried too much; she always focused on just finding a solution. If you see TenTen worried, it means thing are _really_ wrong.

"Hinata called me last night," TenTen started. "She told me her dad got a new girlfriend, who lives in America, and he had picked her up yesterday to take her to meet her new mother-in-law. She explained me that she didn't like her, but her dad did, so he is forcing her to stay there with the woman to know her well until she likes her."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm not done, yet," TenTen interrupted her. "She also said she's not able to have any more contact with her friends, so she's kind of out of touch right now. She doesn't know if she's coming back soon…"

TenTen trailed off and looked down. Sakura saw the concern and sadness in her face, and she felt a lump in her throat. She tried to swallow it.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, putting a hand over her friend's shoulder. "She'll be okay, TenTen; we'll be okay. Just don't lose hopes."

TenTen looked at her and her lower lip trembled. Sakura hugged her and the girl started crying on her shoulder.

"Naruto's not fine," Temari said, walking to them after taking a crying Naruto to his seat.

"Yes, I can see it," Sakura commented, watching the blond being now comforted by another friend of his.

"I'm actually trying not to cry right now." Temari sat down in a near chair. She looked at Sakura like a scared child wanting her mother to tell her everything was fine. "She's… She's coming back, right?"

"I…" Sakura wanted to say '_yes, she definitely will'_, but she didn't feel like lying to herself right now. "I don't know, Temari. I just hope so."

TenTen stopped sobbing and moved away from the pink haired girl. She sniffed and rubbed her wet eyes, taking a seat next to Temari. "That's all we can do," she said. "Hoping."

"I guess so." Sakura sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry for changing the subject," Temari said after a moment of silence. "But, what about Karin's plan? What did Hinata find out?"

"She just told me one thing before Shizune came to take her with her dad," Sakura answered. "She said Karin is trying to put another boy between Sasuke and me."

TenTen gasped. "That's… Ahh."

"What a bitch," Temari growled, staring at Sakura with wide eyes.

"But she couldn't give me the details. Her dad doesn't like to wait."

"So what are you going to do now?" TenTen asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'll have to be careful from now on," Sakura answered. "I won't be with any other boy but Sasuke."

"Speaking of him..." Temari said, staring at something behind Sakura.

Sakura turned around quickly and saw Sasuke entering the classroom, looking as cool as ever. He walked and moved as a model of a magazine, and he even looked hot putting his backpack over a table. When his eyes met hers, a smirk appeared on his face, and something inside of Sakura melted.

"Oh," was all she said as she walked to him, looking at nothing but his eyes.

Sasuke put his arms around her when she stood in front of him. He kissed her cheek and then rested his forehead over hers.

"Hello," he whispered as his girlfriend put her hands over his chest.

"Hello," Sakura replied. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah, the same." He kissed her, first sweetly and then deeply, and suddenly everything around them disappeared for Sakura. She would have had thrown him over a table if it wasn't because he broke the kiss all of sudden and said: "Why is Naruto crying?"

Sakura came back to reality and remembered the horrible situation. A shadow casted over her face and Sasuke frowned at the notice. "It's Hinata," Sakura said. "She left."

"What?" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, but for him that meant he was really shocked. "Why? Where?"

"Her father forced her to be with her new American mother-in-law to know her better until she likes her," Sakura replied, playing with the fabric of his jacket. "She's in America and will come back-… Well, actually we don't even know if she's really coming back. She's not allowed to have contact with her friends anymore." She raised her head and stared at her boyfriend with sadness. "What if her mean dad makes her stay there forever, Sasuke? What if my friend… never comes back?"

Sasuke sighed and pushed her head to rest it over his shoulder as the girl started sobbing. "Sakura," he murmured in her ear while hugging her tighter. "It's going to be okay."

Sakura knew those words were a lie. She knew things weren't fine and were almost impossible to end well. _First Kim, then Karin, and now this? _she thought angrily.

However, as she heard Sasuke saying those words, she did feel it was all fine for a moment. He always made her believe that the impossible things were possible. That was what she loved the most from him.

* * *

Notes: Oh, look! A SasuSaku fluffy moment at the end! :O ... I hope it wasn't too lame ): My excuse is that I wrote this in the night & I'm kinda tired so be nice with me xD For all fans of the other main pairings: **don't worry ;) **There will be more NaruHina, and Saino, and ShikaTema, and _NejiTen_ (read that, Rukia635241? ;D) fluffy moments in the future :DDD Because, yes ladies and gentlemen, this fanfic is not even _close_ to the end! (DUN DUN DUN!!)

Super Useless & Stupid Note Number One: I was listening to _Dance Gavin Dance _as I wrote this :DDDDDD & I love that band as much as I love my mom D:

Super Useless & Stupid Note Number Two: I found out that the full moon happens every 29 days, 12 hours, 43 minutes & 12 seconds, so Kim will appear every "almost a month" from now on. FORGIVE ME, GOD! D:

You'll review right?...

_**RIGHT??!!**_


	10. Surprises

Notes: Sooooo... I updated, huh? (: I got a review of someone telling me that something is lacking in the story, &about the boys being forced to love the girls & if it's really love. Well, you'll see, I _told you_ this story is not even _close_ to the end ;D **Everything will be explained in the future**, so you just have to keep reading it, okay? Just trust me :O (& thanks for the opinion :DD) Also, I realized I had some grammar msitakes in the other chapter D: That was because: **1.** It was late when I was writing it & I was tired; I know I did wrong (if I'm gonna do something, I have to do it right) but I just wanted to update to make you guys know that I'M STILL ALIVE AND THIS STORY IS _NOT_ ABANDONED. (: & **2.** I've been writing in a Spanish a lot lately (I'm Hispanic :D) , but not too much in English, so I kinda lost practice. xD But don't worry, I'm getting better ;D Also, _thank you _for your reviews &for giving me your opinion; it makes me happy to know that you read what I write & you actually care. n,n

Disclaimer: There's a dude in Japan that owns these characters. &I'm not that dude. D:

* * *

**Chapter 10**

-

-

_Surprises_

-

-

The car stopped in front of the entrance of the school. There were no students outside, waiting for the classes to start, so Kim supposed she was already late. Well, it wasn't as if she cared, right? It was Ino's problems, not hers.

She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She turned her head to the right*****, and told Ino's father to open it with her look. However, Ino's father did nothing; he just stared at her, without saying a word, frowning and with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Um, can you open the door, daddy?" she said, feeling kind of awkward calling a stranger 'daddy'. But she was Ino now, the spoiled little brat, and she had to pretend.

Ino's father shook his head, without taking his eyes off his daughter. Kim frowned.

"Why?" she asked angrily. Who did he think he was to lock her in a car…? Oh, right; he was her father – but just for now. Crap.

"I want you to tell me what's wrong," Ino's father said.

"What?" Kim was surprised. "There is nothing wrong, daddy. Look, just let me go, okay? Because I'm late already, and I don't want to have problems."

The man sighed tiredly, closing his eyes. "Ino," he murmured. "I'm you father, _and_ a psychiatrist*****. You cannot lie to me."

_A psychiatrist?_ Kim thought. _Wow, so that's why Ino has such a nice house, huh?_

"But daddy, I don't understand," Kim insisted, trying really hard not to be annoyed. "There's nothing wrong. Why would you say that?"

"Well, I know that when you don't talk and talk," Ino's father explained, "Which is what you always do when your mood is okay, it means that you're upset." He reached for her hand and looked at her sweetly. "Princess, you can tell me everything, okay? You know I'll help you."

Kim couldn't believe how spoiled Ino really was. Princess? He called her _princess_? She didn't know what was going to happen to her parents when Ino gets married…

"Dad," Kim said seriously, gripping his hand tightly. "Really; there's nothing wrong with me. You have to understand that I'm growing up and as a teenager maybe I won't tell you a lot of things. But that's normal. Every girl stops being daddy's little girl someday."

Ino's dad blinked, looking clearly surprised. Kim could say it was predictable. Of course that if someone like Ino said such wise words just like she just did, people would be surprised.

"Are you saying that you don't want to talk about it with me, but you will talk about it with your friends?" he asked, looking now kind of hurt.

"Ahh, no!" Kim rolled her eyes. "I mean that there's nothing wrong with me now, but if you think I'm acting weird is because I'm growing up and changing. And you have to understand it and accept it."

"Oh, well, that's different." He smiled. "Explain yourself better next time."

Kim rolled her eyes again, but couldn't help but smiling to.

"Now, would you let me out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the blond man.

"Of course," he answered, pushing the button to unlock the doors. "Have a good day, prin – I mean, _Ino_."

Kim stepped out of the car and smiled at him before closing the door. She waved at him as the car left. When it was out of sight, Kim looked around her, checking there was no one watching her. Slowly, a smirk appeared in her face. _It's time to have real fun_, she thought.

Today was going to be a change of routine to Kim the fairy. She hadn't forgotten about the little stupid prank Temari did to her, with the Keeping Promise Spell. That day she had no fun, so this time she disserved the double, didn't she? That was just the fair thing.

Kim's plan was malicious, just as she loved to do her plans. She – well, _Ino_ – wasn't going to assist to school today. Oh no, sir. Today Ino was going to be seen in the streets, acting like a little girl in a different and exotic place. Today Kim was really going to enjoy the sensations of being a human.

-

-

The teacher arrived to the classroom and the class started. Most of the students were paying attention to his speech, but just three girls were completely ignoring the class and worrying about another thing.

Sakura was sitting at the back of the classroom, next to her boyfriend Sasuke (she wasn't going to leave him alone from now on, remember?). She was biting her nails nervously, and when Sasuke asked her what was wrong, she told him she was still upset about Hinata, which was a lie. The truth was that it was Ino who was worrying her now; well, to be more exact, it was Kim. The fairy inside Ino's body hadn't arrived to the school yet; she was skipping class. To do what? She didn't know, and that was what worried her, of course.

Suddenly, Sakura jumped when her backpack, which was resting on her lap, vibrated. The girl hurried to take out her cell phone and check secretly the message she just received.

_**Where the hell is Kim, dude??!! D:**_ sent TenTen.

Sakura's fingers moved over the buttons as fast as she could, afraid to be seen by the teacher.

_**I don't know! She skipped class; I guess ¬¬**_ was the pink haired girl's answer.

_**Did you guys notice Ino/Kim isn't here yet? **_Temari sent them both later.

_**Yeah,**_ Sakura sent to her friends, _**TenTen & I are freaking out about it already. D:**_

_**Well, we should**_, Temari replied. _**We don't know what she can be doing now…**_

_**Damn, thanks for making us feel better, Temari ¬¬**_ TenTen sent, speaking for Sakura too.

The bell rang and the teacher dismissed the class. The girls walked - well, _ran_ out of the classroom and made their way to the girl's bathroom, the only place where they could talk with privacy.

Sakura and Temari went in and TenTen stayed in the door to tell a girl who was about to enter behind them: "I'm sorry, darling. My friend ate tacos yesterday and you wouldn't want to be here to help her, would you?" The girl made a face and walked away without protesting. TenTen smirked and closed the door behind her.

"Didn't you have another less disgusting excuse, TenTen?" Sakura murmured, shaking her head.

The brunette shrugged. "It worked perfectly, didn't it?"

"I guess so…" Sakura sighed. "Anyways, back to the topic. What the FUCK is Kim doing now?"

"She's obviously still angry about the Keeping Promise Spell," Temari said, staring at her feet and frowning thoughtfully.

"You mean this is like her revenge?" TenTen asked.

"Probably," Sakura nodded. "She wants to worry us, to keep us wondering what horrible things she could be doing now to Ino's body…"

TenTen gasped. "Is she going to, like, _kill_ her?"

"No." Temari shook her head, and her friends turned to her, giving her confused looks. "I read in the book that Tsunade gave me that fairies can't kill or hurt humans. If Kim kills Ino being inside her body, she will die too, but if she manages to escape alive, the other fairies will kill her for breaking their golden rule. She may not kill her, but she can get a tattoo or a piercing or something like that."

"Oh." Sakura raised a pink eyebrow. "So you learned a lot about it, didn't you?"

The blonde shrugged and grinned. "It was interesting. By the way, I have to give the book back to you aunt."

"We'll do that later." Sakura put her hands in her waist. "Now we have to find that fairy and stop her before she does something."

TenTen's eyes widened. "Are we going to skip school?"

Sakura nodded. "We'll do it during lunch time."

-

-

Kim tried to ignore her aching feet. She had never felt that kind of ache because of walking long distance as a fairy. Humans' bodies were _so_ annoying.

She had walked and walked in random directions, looking at the people and the places and the plants around her. She smelled the fresh air and focused on the sounds of the traffic and the singing of the birds. She stopped in a store and bought with some Ino's money that thing she saw a little girl eating before, called ice cream; she ordered the pink one (it reminded her of Sakura) and, after staring at it for a while trying to discover if it wasn't poisoned or something, she licked it. After that, she bought two more of the same flavor. Now, she was officially addicted to strawberry ice cream.

_Humans don't know how lucky they are_, Kim told herself. They had so many things to enjoy, so much _freedom_. They didn't have to be slaves, to work every day and every hour of their lives making wishes. They could love or hate whoever they wanted, they could like or dislike whatever they wanted, they could eat and drink and see and feel _anything_ the wanted, without someone there to stop them.

Kim was enjoying every second of it. Being a fairy sucked even more for her now.

After almost two hours of walking through the streets, her human body was already tired of so much fun. That was probably the only thing she hated about being a human: they needed to rest, to eat and to drink to survive. How annoying, really.

She founa a park and decided to take a break there. The park was almost deserted; she guessed that it was because most of kids were in school at that hour. But it was okay; she had more space to herself. She sat under the shade of a tall tree, with her back leaning against the trunk and her knees hugged to her chest.

She enjoyed the sensation of the fresh breeze hitting her skin and her hair tickling her eyes, the smell of the plants around her, the tickling of the spiky grass between her fingers, the sound of the breeze and the birds singing…

She didn't even notice when she fell asleep.

-

-

"Crap, someone's coming!" Temari hissed, as she heard the footsteps coming closer.

"_What?_" Sakura looked down at her with panic. "Ugh, damn. Let's hurry!"

Temari nodded and pushed Sakura's feet up. Sakura popped her head around the small window and looked down at TenTen. The brunette nodded at her and stretched her arms to catch her.

"Don't be afraid," TenTen said. "It's going to be okay; just jump."

"Ugh, it's easy for you to say that," Sakura growled. "You're an extreme girl, unlike me."

"Hurry!" Temari hissed, tugging on Sakura's jeans.

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. She pushed herself forward until half of her body was outside of the window.

"This is going to hurt," she told herself, gulping, and then she jumped down, falling to the ground.

"You okay?" TenTen asked her, kneeling down next to her.

"Ow," was all Sakura said as she stood up, rubbing her hurt arm. She was going to have a huge bruise there tomorrow.

"Okay, Temari, you're next!" TenTen hissed to her friend, standing up.

Inside, Temari looked around to make sure no one was near and the person who was coming was already gone. She jumped and took a hold of the window's frame. She pushed her feet against the wall until she was able to pop her head around the window. She looked down at Sakura and TenTen.

"What if I break a bone?" Temari asked, looking extremely nervous.

"I just got a bruise and she grazed her knee," Sakura said, pointing TenTen and shrugging. "If you got something worse, then it's just bad luck."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Just jump, Temari!" TenTen hissed, motioning her to come down. "Be brave!"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and held her breath. She jumped and at the next second she was lying on the ground over her back, growling of pain.

"Did you break a bone?" Sakura asked her.

"I don't know," Temari replied.

"Can you walk?" TenTen asked.

Temari nodded and grinned. Her friends helped her up, each one pulling one of her hands until she could stand up. Temari rubbed her back but nodded, telling them she was okay.

"Okay, now how are we going to find Kim?" TenTen asked Sakura as they walked to the exit of the school. There was no one there; the security guard was eating his lunch somewhere else. They were able to leave without being caught.

"It's going to take a while," Sakura said. "We'll go in random directions and we'll ask some people if they have seen Ino. I have a photo of her in my cell phone."

"Good idea," agreed Temari. "Besides, I don't think Kim went too far. She doesn't know the city, and besides, Ino's body is lazy."

"Yes, we have that advantage," replied Sakura, and they started with their search.

-

-

Kim felt something cold and wet falling on the tip of her nose. She blinked slowly and remembered where she was. She raised her hand and touched her nose; she had a drop of water on it. Another drop fell on her left cheek and then on her forehead. Kim raised her head and looked up. From between the leaves of the tree above her, she saw the gray sky, and realized it was raining as the drops continued falling.

Kim stood up slowly and grabbed her backpack. The rain continued falling over her, and she felt that human sensation called coldness in her skin. She hugged her arms instinctively, and stayed there, with her back against the trunk.

She couldn't leave. She could get wetter and catch a cold, and she knew it wasn't okay to make sick or hurt a human. She had to wait until the rain calmed down.

She reached for Ino's cell phone in the right pocket of her jeans and glanced at the time. She remembered the last time she checked it and realized she was asleep for almost _four_ hours.

_Damn, what a lazy body_, she thought, annoyed.

-

-

TenTen, Temari and Sakura ran through the streets, trying to protect their heads from the rain with their arms. They stopped until they were under the roof outside a random local.

"Dammit," Sakura growled, taking off her wet sweater. "We had been searching for her for more than _three_ fucking hours. We're tired, and now it _rains_? Does the world hate us or something?"

Temari sighed tiredly as she tried to dry her hair with her own sweater. "Probably," she muttered.

"Girls!" TenTen yelled suddenly. Her friends turned at her. She pointed at something in front of them. "Look over there!"

They did as she said and saw a park. "Right, TenTen. It's a park," Temari said.

"Agh, no!" The brunette rolled her eyes. "The tall tree in the middle! You see it?"

She pointed again. Temari and Sakura tried to look closer.

"Oh, yeah," Sakura said. "A person's there, under the tree, but what about it?"

Suddenly, Temari gasped. "Is that…?"

"It's Ino!" TenTen exclaimed happily. "Well, Kim, but – Well, it's her! We found her!"

Sakura's green eyes widened. She looked closer and realized that, indeed, it was the body of that blonde pretty girl she called best friend since they were six years old.

"What is she doing there?" Temari wondered out loud.

"We should go to her," TenTen proposed.

Sakura nodded. "Let's go."

The three girls crossed the street running, trying not to get too wet. They entered the park and ran to where Kim (inside Ino's body) was.

"Kim!" Sakura yelled as they approached her.

Kim noticed them walking to her. Her eyes widened slightly and she stood stiff. "What are you doing here?" she asked them as they stopped in front of her.

"We came for you," TenTen told her, glaring and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why did you skip school?!" Temari demanded.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Have you forgotten about the dirty prank you did to me the last time, Temari?" she asked. "Well, this is my revenge." She smirked and raised her chin.

"But Ino has no fault!" Sakura argued. "What have you done to her body, huh?"

"I didn't do anything to her," Kim said, shaking her head and pouting. "I'm not _that_ mean."

"Then what did you do this whole time?" TenTen said, confused.

"Well, I…" Kim blushed and looked away. Ino's blonde bangs hide her face as she answered. "I just... I just enjoyed humans' sensations, alright? That's all."

"Enjoyed humans' sensations?" Sakura snorted. "You expect us to believe that?"

Kim glared at her but blushed redder. "I don't care if you don't believe me! And that's just the truth."

"But why that?" TenTen asked still confused. She seemed to believe her, so Sakura stared at her with surprise.

"I told you before, in the beggining," Kim explained. "I just want to know how it feels like to be a human again."

"_Again_?" Sakura asked. "You were human before, Kim?"

"Of course, all fairies were." The fairy smiled sadly. "That's why we look like humans. I used to be a happy girl with a normal life, but one day…" She looked away. "Well, first of all, you have to know that I was kind of a bitch…"

"_Kind of?_" TenTen raised an eyebrow.

"YES, JUST A LITTLE!" Kim blushed. "Anyways, I had a car accident, and I was going to die. But the Lord of the Fairies came to me and offered me to be a fairy instead of dying. He chose me because of my personality and my story; he said I was perfect. I felt special when he told me that…" She paused and raised her head. Her face was emotionless. "So I accepted, and here I am."

"But you miss being a human," TenTen realized, staring at her with pity.

"Yes." Kim glared at them slightly. "You humans don't value what you have."

Before any of the girls could say other thing, it stopped raining suddenly, and the sun came back. They all looked up and admired the blur rainbow in the sky.

"We should go now," TenTen said, breaking the silence.

Sakura nodded and sighed tiredly. "What time is it?"

Temari raised her right hand and glanced at her watch. "School should be over by now."

"Let's go home," Sakura murmured, and she turned around to leave.

"You go," Kim said from behind. "I want to stay here."

"What?" Temari asked. "But Ino's parents are going to be worried if you're late!"

"Tell them Ino is with one of you," Kim replied. She looked at them pleadingly. "Girls, c'mon... Please."

The girls exchanged looks, and after a moment of thinking, Sakura sighed and nodded. "Fine," she said. "I'll call them and tell them you're in my house."

"Just go home before it gets dark," TenTen told the fairy, as she and her friends turned around and left her alone.

Kim smiled. _So those humans can be nice sometimes, huh?_

-

-

Ino was desperate. It was already dark outside, and Kim hadn't come home yet. She wondered if she got lost, or if she got kidnapped… The uncertainty was killing her.

She heard the doorbell and she jumped from her bed to attend it, but then she remembered she was a ghost, and even thought she could touch things, she couldn't be seen by anyone but Kim, so if her mom or the maid see the door being opened by no one, they would freak out, and the last thing that Ino wanted right now was a priest coming to her house to scare away the 'ghosts'.

So she just ran downstairs and waited for the maid to open the door. When the maid came and opened it, she heard her say, "Oh, hello, Ino's friends. Ino's not here right now."

"Really?" Sakura sounded surprised. "Um, well, she's about to arrive, isn't she?"

"Yeah," the maid replied. "Hey, why don't you wait for her here?"

"Yes, that would be great," TenTen said.

Ino ran upstairs and waited for her friends in her room. They entered just a minute later, looking around and stretching their hands as if they wanted to touch something invisible.

"Ino, are you here?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, I'm here," Ino replied casually. "I'm sitting in my bed."

"Oh, okay," Sakura said, sitting at the edge of her bed. She smiled. "You know, it's weird to be talking to you but staring at nowhere."

Ino laughed. "Yeah, it is." Suddenly, she realized her fourth friend was missing. "Hey, where's Hinata?" Ino watched as a shadow casted over her friends' faces at the mention of the name. She frowned. "What's wrong?"

TenTen sighed, sitting down next to Sakura and staring at her lap. "She's in America," she started. "Remember that her dad picked her up yesterday? Well, he took her to meet his American new girlfriend. Hianta doesn't like her, but her dad is forcing her to stay there until she likes her. She's... We don't know if she's coming back soon."

Ino stared at the brunnete with wide eyes and open mouth. She didn't say anything. Sakura got worried; she frowned and asked, "Ino, are you still here?"

"Yes," the blonde said. "I just , I…" She shook her head. "I can't believe it... How's Naruto?"

"He's depressed," was all Sakura said.

"Poor guy…" Ino sighed. "Can I call her? Do you know her phone number?"

"She's not allowed to have any contact with us yet," Temari explained.

"WHAT?!" Ino's eyes widened again. "Her dad did that?! God, he's such an ass…"

Suddenly, the door opened and Kim (inside Ino's body) came in.

"What the hell happened to my hair?" was Ino's greeting to the fairy as she made a face.

"It got wet because of the rain," Kim said. She looked extremely tired. "Anyways, stand up, Ino. I'll give you back your lazy body."

Ino stood up. "Lazy body?" she asked.

"I got tired too quickly," Kim explained, putting her hands together and closing her eyes. "Don't you do any exercise?"

"I don't need it." Ino shrugged and smirked. "I _told you _I'm naturally beautiful."

Kim sighed again. At the next second, Ino's body was losing its balance and Kim (inside her own body) was standing where Ino as a ghost had been standing.

Ino (in her own body again) blinked as she gained balance. "Damn, that felt awesome," she murmured, smiling.

"Sakura, you're the next," Kim told the pink haired girl, and then she turned around, making her way to Ino's large window. "Goodbye, everyone."

"Bye!" the five girls said at the same time as Kim opened the window and jumped.

"We all skipped school today, you know?" TenTen commented, smirking.

Ino looked surprised. "Really? _Why_? You left Kim alone? WITH MY BOYFRIEND?!"

"Calm down, Ino-pig," Sakura said. "Kim skipped school too. Actually, we skipped school to find her."

"What?!"

"But it's okay," TenTen interrupted her. "She just wanted to enjoy how it feels like to be a human again."

"Again?" Ino asked, raising an eyebrow.

The other three girls exchanged looks and smiled.

"It's a long story," Temari explained. "But in resume, it seems like Kim isn't the heartless bitch she appears to be."

* * *

Notes: A lorger chapter! YAY! :DDD I thought it was going to be short, but listening to A Static Lullaby inspires me! ;) It's weekend! So the next chapter will be up before Monday, okay? Wait for it, because everything is getting better. Ü

*****= Yes, _right_; remmeber they're in Japan, so the driver's seat is in the other side. :O

*****= LOL. Can you see the irony?

Leave your review now, alright? :DD


	11. Doubts

Notes: Hi! :D I've got nothing to say today. o_o Just that Kim doesn't appear in this chapter, &that I´m stupid. Why am I stupid? Well, because I thought Sakura was the last one to lend her body to Kim! **&she's not!** It's TenTen! DD: Now I have more to write :L But good thing I remembered it, right? ;D

Disclaimer: Go ask your mom who owns Naruto's characters.

* * *

**Chapter eleven**

-

-

Doubts

-

-

The next day, Ino arrived early to school. Her next class was Math, and the classroom was on the third floor of the school's building. But she wanted to see Sai; she had missed him so much. So she went to the art classroom, which was on the fourth floor.

Sai used to spend his free time in the art classroom, like during lunch time or before classes started, drawing or painting. Since Ino became his girlfriend, she also spent a lot time there, with him. The classroom had became their favorite place to spend time together.

Ino entered the classroom with a huge smile on her face, expecting to see her boyfriend in a desk, drawing on his notebook. But he wasn't there.

Ino's smile disappeared. "Sai?" she called, but the classroom was empty.

She was really worried. Sai was always there before classes started. _Maybe he didn't come to school_, Ino thought, but that didn't calm her. If he didn't come to school, then something was wrong.

Ino turned around and ran downstairs. She had to find someone that knew Sai and ask them if they have seen him or if they knew if he wasn't going to come to school or something. She needed to know.

As soon as she reached the second floor, she saw Suigetsu, who was in several of Sai's classes, opening his locker and taking out some books. Ino gasped a "There you are!" and ran towards him.

"Suigetsu!" she yelled, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around.

Suigetsu stared at her with surprise for a moment, and then his expression turned smug and he smirked. "Oh, hey there, babe," he said.

Ino rolled her baby blue eyes. That idiot always flirted with everything with a pair of breasts. "I have no time for that, Suigetsu," Ino told him. "I need you to tell me if you have seen Sai."

"Sai?" Suigetsu repeated. Ino nodded and he shrugged. "No, I don't think so. Why? He's not in the art classroom?"

"No." Ino sighed, putting her hands in her waist. "And that means nothing good."

"Well, maybe he's just late for school," Suigetsu suggested. "It can happen, you know?"

"I guess, but still…" She shook her head. "Anyways, thank you."

"Yeah, okay, bye," Suigetsu said. He turned around, closed his locker and walked away, waving goodbye to Ino.

Ino sighed and leaned against Suigetsu's locker. _Maybe he's sick_, she thought, really trying to believe it. There wasn't a concrete reason to be so worried, but it was like if she had a bad feeling. Ino had always thought it was like a gift; when she had a bad feeling, something wrong was going to happen. And she was _always_ right.

Ino was staring at the floor with sadness, when suddenly she heard footsteps coming to her. Hopeful, she raised her head and expected to see Sai standing in front of her. However, it wasn't Sai; it was a young boy with red hair, probably two grades above her.

"Are you Ino Yamanaka?" he asked. Ino nodded, confused. The boy raised his hand and handed her a piece of paper. "This is for you."

"Uh?" Ino made a face. "What is this? Who gave it to you?"

"A guy," he said, rolling his eyes. "Hey, just take it, okay? He just paid me for delivering this. I don't know anything."

Ino stared at him doubtfully, but then nodded. "Okay. Thank you," she dismissed him, taking the paper. The boy walked away as she started reading.

_Ino,_

_Meet me in the football field. We have to talk. And you probably will need to skip class._

_-Sai._

Ino raised a blonde eyebrow. Of course Sai wrote it; she could recognize his neat handwriting perfectly. But… what the hell did he mean? Why did she have to meet him there? Why was everything so mysterious?

_Well, I'll have to go and find out_, she thought, sighing tiredly. At least now she knew he was okay.

Ino took out his cell phone and sent a message to Sakura, telling her where she was going to be, and then she made her way to the football field.

-

-

Sakura's bag vibrated as her mother's car stopped in front of her high school. She took out her cell phone and read Ino's message.

**Hey, forehead. I'm meeting Sai in the football field and I'll probably skip class. We're just going to talk but… I have a bad feeling. Anyways, I'll tell you later, okay? ;D **

_A bad feeling?_ Sakura thought, frowning. She knew about Ino's "gift", as she called it. Every time Ino said "I have a bad feeling", she knew that something bad was going to happen. Sakura couldn't help but think that maybe Sai was going to break up with her, but she hoped that wouldn't happen. Ino was really in love with him; she was going to be shattered. Besides, she didn't want to stand a depressed Ino.

"What was it?" Sakura's mother asked her.

Sakura turned to her and smiled weakly. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just Ino gossiping, as always."

The woman sighed and shook her head. "You girls can't think of anything else, can you? Gossip, boys and shopping is everything inside your little heads."

"C'mon, mom," Sakura laughed. "Don't tell me you weren't like me when you were my age."

"Okay, you win," her mother replied, smiling, as Sakura opened the door.

The girl stepped out of the car and made her way towards the entrance. As she walked, she wrote a message to TenTen and Temari.

**Girls, Ino's in the football field talking with Sai. She told me she has a bad feeling. I don't wanna think of it but what if he's breaking up with her? D: I hope not, but prepare the tissues and the chocolate just in case.**

-

-

"A depressed Ino is even worse than an angry Ino," Temari said, shaking her head, after she read the message Sakura had sent her. She was sitting over TenTen's desk, swinging her legs like a little girl.

"Maybe he's not breaking up with her," TenTen said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, he's kind of in love with her. Kim made sure of that. Or did he break the spell or something?" She gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. "What if the spell has expired? Oh my god, Temari, is Neji going to stop loving me soon?!"

Temari sighed. "Of course not, TenTen, calm down. Maybe Sai is just giving her a romantic present or showing her a place or something. Why do you guys always think of the negative stuff?"

"You're right," TenTen murmured. In that moment, the bell rang.

"Crap, I have to go," Temari said, jumping from the desk. "See you later."

"Make sure to get the tissues and the chocolate!" TenTen yelled at her.

"Yeah, okay!" Temari responded. She exited the classroom at the same time that Neji entered it.

Neji's pale eyes met TenTen's, and he smirked. TenTen's body froze as she watched him walk to her. He put his backpack on the desk in front of hers and then leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Why do you look so upset?" he asked her, sitting down on his seat.

"Um, it's nothing." She shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine."

"Okay then," he replied.

"Um… Neji?" TenTen said sheepishly, blushing slightly. Damn, she hated to blush; it was too girly for her. Good thing that just happened in front of Neji.

"Yes?"

"Do you… do you like me, like, a lot?" she started, feeling her heart beating faster. "I mean, like, you would never leave me, no matter what, right?"

Neji smirked, holding her hands. "Of course not. I'll never leave you."

"Never?" TenTen repeated, smiling. Neji nodded. "So you believe that love can be forever?"

"Yes," Neji answered. "That's why marriage still exists. There may be a lot of divorces, but just unlucky people that didn't find their true love divorce."

TenTen's eyes widened. "That's…" She paused and her smile grew wider. "So corny, Neji!"

"Is it?" He made a face but when TenTen laughed, he blushed (but it was unnoticeable, because Hyuugas males _do not _blush). "Oh shut up. It's just the truth."

TenTen stopped laughing. She caressed his pale cheek. "Yes, it is the truth. It's just weird that you said it."

"I can be romantic, you know?" he said, and then frowned when she laughed again. "_Stop_ doing that, would you?"

-

-

Ino spotted Sai sitting on the bleachers when she arrived to the football field. She walked to him and when he noticed her, she smiled. But her smile was replaced by a frown when he didn't return the smile.

She sat beside him, with her backpack between them. "I'm here. What's up?"

Sai didn't dare to look her in the eye. He looked worried. "Ino," he started, "I have something to tell you."

"It's a bad new, isn't it?" She smiled sadly.

Sai turned to her, with slightly wide eyes. "How did you know?"

"I had a bad feeling," Ino shrugged. "But I'll be strong, okay? So please be straightforward."

"I will."

Sai put Ino's backpack on his feet and moved closer to her. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her. Ino was surprised at first, but then she kissed him back. They made out for a few minutes, and Ino realized Sai had never kissed her that way. It was sweeter, slower, as if he didn't want to forget the taste of her lips.

When he broke the kiss, he suddenly said: "I'm leaving to Europe."

Ino thought she didn't hear well at first, but his expression was so pained that she forced herself to believe it. "Why?" she asked, feeling a lump forming in her throat.

"My mom, who lives in France, found a great art school there," he explained. "She wants me to move with her as soon as possible."

"And… do you want to go?" Ino asked, gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I mean, it _is_ a great art school, it's a great opportunity, and I miss my mom. However… _you_ are here."

Ino bit her lower lip, choking back her sobs. "And I'm not... _enough_ for you to stay?"

Sai put his forehead against hers. "Ino… Could you please understand me? It's my mom, my only parent, and I really want to assist to a prestigious art school ever since I was a kid. Of course I want to stay, to be with you, but…"

"You prefer to go," she finished for him.

Sai nodded slowly. Tears fell down Ino's flushed cheeks and she clenched her jaw with anger. She pushed him away and stood up.

"Then leave!" she yelled. "What are you waiting for?! If that's what you want, I don't want to interfere!"

"Ino…" Sai reached for her hand, but she jerked it back.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled.

Sai stared at her with confusion and surprise. Ino took her backpack, turned around and ran away. She didn't want to look at him anymore.

"INO!" Sai yelled after her, but she ignored him and just ran away from him as fast as she could.

-

-

Sakura didn't see Ino in math, but she wasn't surprised. Ino had told her, after all. However, she wondered what would be so important for Sai to make her skip class. _Well, I just hope that when I see her again, she won't be crying a river because of him_, Sakura thought.

The bell rang and the teacher dismissed the class. Sakura ran to her boyfriend, who was about to exit the classroom.

"Hey, Sasuke," she greeted him, smiling. "What's your next class?"

"Um, Biology, I think," the black haired boy answered.

"And then?"

"Chemistry."

"And then?"

"P.E." He crossed his arms and eyed her suspiciously. "Since when do you care about my classes so much, Sakura?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Why not? I mean, you're my boyfriend, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But you don't need to know about every move I make." He smirked and then leaned down to kiss her soft lips. "See you later," he murmured, and then walked away.

Sakura sighed sadly as she watched him leave with his still-depressed-because-of-Hinata best friend, Naruto. She wished for a moment to be in every of his classes, to make sure no girl would go too near him (because, yeah, Karin's plan was to put a boy between them, but Sakura was not easy to flirt with, so maybe Karin could think of putting a girl between them instead; who knows) because she really didn't want to end her relationship with Sasuke. Everything was perfect with him, he was _the one_, and of course she didn't want anything to change.

The classroom was empty when Sakura exited it. She turned to the left, making her way to her next class, Chemistry, but she saw Ino leaning against the wall right there, and Sakura completely froze when she saw her face. Tears rolled from her eyes and her black mascara was a mess; she was sobbing quietly and shaking slightly.

The blonde raised her head slowly and stared into her friend's green eyes. The pained look she gave her made something break inside Sakura's chest.

"He…" Ino started, her voice shaking. "He's le-leaving, Sakura. To Europe. He's- he's leaving m-me!"

Sakura bit her lower lip as she felt her eyes watering. She hated when that happened; every time Ino's heart broke, she always cried with her. Maybe it was a best friend's thing; she didn't know.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Ino's neck. "Doesn't he l-love me?" Ino asked between sobs.

Sakura didn't know what to say, because she wasn't sure. So she just whispered into her ear, "It's going to be okay. You're not alone." Ino hugged her waist tightly as a response and started to sob loudly against her shoulder.

-

-

Temari and TenTen waited for Ino and Sakura in the school's garden. When they arrived, Temari and TenTen saw Ino's face with no make-up and her red eyes, and their jaws fell open.

"God, Ino! You okay?" TenTen asked her as they all sat in the grass, under the shade of a tree.

Ino just shook her head. "Sai's leaving to Europe to go to an art school. He's leaving me, girls."

Temari put an arm around her shoulders and handed her a tissue. "We're sorry. We're here with you for whatever you need. You know that, right?"

Ino nodded, leaning her head over Temari's shoulder. "Thank you guys. I really don't know what would I do without you."

"Oh, it's time!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, glancing at her watch. "I have to go now."

"Where to?" TenTen asked, surprised.

"To find Sasuke. His P.E. class just finished," the pink haired girl replied. "I can't leave him alone, remember? If Karin realizes her plan won't work with me, maybe she'll try it with Sasuke."

"You mean, like, putting a girl between you instead of a guy?" Temari asked. Sakura nodded.

"But Sakura," Ino said, chewing some of the delicious chocolate TenTen gave to her, "If you wouldn't fall for another boy, why would Sasuke fall for another girl? Doesn't he love you too?"

"Yeah," Sakura shrugged. "But, you know, just in case. I really don't want something to happen. I don't need more bad news."

"Okay, fine," TenTen said. "Then go with him."

"Okay! Bye," Sakura said, standing up and running away.

"If she goes too far with this never-leave-my-boyfriend's-side plan," Temari commented, watching her friend leave, "I think Sasuke may get annoyed." And her other friends agreed with a nod.

-

-

"I say the first thing I'd wish if I'd meet a genie, is a gigantic bowl of pork ramen," Naruto said proudly, with his tanned arms crossed over his chest.

Neji shook his head. "Naruto, can you stop being selfish for once? I'd wish world peace, or to end with the poverty, or the hunger, or I don't know, something like that."

"And since when you're so nice, Neji?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes. How could that idiot with eyes so similar to Hinata's (oh, his Hinata! How much he missed her!) call _him_ selfish?! _By the way, what the hell means "selfish"?_ Naruto asked himself. _Sounds like something aquatic… Oh, anyways; I'll ask Shikamaru later._

"It's not that I'm nice," Neji replied, frowning. "It's just having a little of kindness with the world I live in. Besides, I also can't think of anything else to wish, because I have everything I want."

"Don't lie to yourself, Hyuuga," Sasuke commented. "No one is completely satisfied with their lives. We all wish to have something else or something less."

"How deep, Uchiha," Neji said, raising his eyebrows. "Did you read that in one of your emo books?"

"They are _not_ emo," Sasuke corrected, glaring. "They are _gothic literature_, and they're _art_."

"Yeah, stop saying other people's likes are lame!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Neji.

Said boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He looked at something behind Sasuke and Naruto. "Hey, look who is coming. It's future Mrs. Uchiha."

Sasuke turned around immediately and welcomed Sakura with a smirk. Sakura smiled back at him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his thin lips.

"Oh, you guys, don't do that in front of me!" Naruto yelled. "Don't you realize any show of affection reminds me of my Hinata and then I got depressed?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sakura smiled apologetically, and then turned to the brown haired boy beside him. "By the way, Neji, do you know something about Hinata? Do you know how she is?"

Neji shook his head. "I haven't talked with her, just with my uncle. He says they are both fine, but knowing my cousin since little kids, I can imagine how much she's depressed right now, being away from her friends, and from this idiot she chose as a boyfriend."

"Hey!" Naruto protested, but he was ignored.

"Mhh, I see." Sakura nodded. "Tell me if anything comes up."

"Sure," replied Neji.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, who was still hugging her waist. "Hey, why don't we go to a private place just the two of us?" she asked softly, smirking.

"Sure," he replied, nodding. He turned to his two friends. "See you later, guys," he said, and then he and his girlfriend walked away, holding hands.

Naruto sighed deeply beside Neji. Neji turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," the blond said. "It's just that… Man, I really miss Hinata. I feel like if half of my soul is gone!"

Neji smirked. "Did you get that from Sasuke's books too?"

"Oh, shut up."

-

-

Sakura lead Sasuke to the garden. Without even noticing, they sat down in the same bench where Sakura found Sasuke that time when she cut his hair for the spell.

"Hey, we were here before," Sakura remembered. "The time when we were attacked by fangirls, remember?"

"Ah, yes." Sasuke made a face. "Bittersweet memories."

"Bittersweet?" Sakura asked. "Why bittersw-? _Oh_." She looked down sadly. "Because you were here with Karin, right? That was the sweet part."

Sasuke snorted and Sakura looked up, surprised. "Of course not," he said, "That was actually the bitter part, apart from being crushed by almost twenty females."

"Then what's the sweet part?"

Sasuke turned to her, smirking. "That you were here with me for a moment, just the two of us."

Sakura's eyes softened and she chuckled, resting her chin over his shoulder, so that her nose touched his lips. "Yeah, and you told me that you didn't love Karin," she added. "That made really happy, although you never really told why you were with her."

Sasuke sighed against her forehead. "I… really prefer not to talk about that."

Sakura raised her head to look him in the eye. "C'mon, Sasuke. I'm not going to get angry."

"Yes, you will," he insisted.

"Sasuke, please…" He shook his head. "Please Sasuke; we're not supposed to have secrets!" He shook his head again. "Come on, I promise I won't get angry!" He shook it again. "Okay, well, if you don't tell me, then I'll think something even _worse_!"

"Fine," he said reluctantly. "I'll tell you."

"Yay," she said softly.

"Well, you'll see… You know how I was before," he started. "I used to have a lot of girlfriends, not really taking them seriously. Karin was once one of them, and we, er…" He stopped.

"You what, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

He sighed tiredly and murmured: "We had sex." Sakura gasped. "But it was only once!" Sasuke said, panicking. "I promise it meant absolutely _nothing_. It was just a mistake!"

Sakura sighed and nodded slowly, but she looked sad. "It's fine; I know it meant nothing. It's normal for you men to do that, especially when every girl tries to do _it_ with you. Guess you couldn't resist... I'm just sad that I weren't your, you know, your _first one_, like I wish you'd be my first one someday."

He put a hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. "Sakura, you _will_ be my first one. You already are. You're my first love."

_You're first forced love, you mean_, Sakura thought, and she couldn't believe she just thought that. She had never questioned herself about that before; she had never thought Sasuke was being forced to love her. But… was he? Would he, like, not love her if it wasn't because of Kim and the spell?

Sakura shook her head, clearing her throat. It was no time for think about that.

"Anyways," she said, "What happened then?"

"Well, she made me believe that she was pregnant," Sasuke continued. "But it wasn't true. That was why I was forcing myself to stand her and be with her, just because of the inexistent baby I thought she was carrying."

"Wow," Sakura said with her eyes wide. "How could she lie about that?"

"I know… But I decided that I could make my own decisions, that I could love someone else, and take care of my child and the mother at the same time. But just when I was breaking up with Karin, she confessed me she was just lying to keep me with her."

"Well, great decision," Sakura said, resting her chin on his shoulder again. "Either way, we wouldn't be together now."

Sasuke chuckled and kissed her forehead. But Sakura was suddenly feeling sad._ He just made that decision because of the spell,_ she thought, _He was forced to fall in love with me. He really didn't love me... did he?_

* * *

Notes: Wow, Sasuke reads gothic literature! How _awesome_! :O I was supposed to update this on Sunday, but I had some problems with the Document Manager. It sucks. D: ...You're gonna leave your review, right? ;)


	12. More bad news

Notes: I wasn't dead; I was just busy D: But now I'm back :D

Disclaimer: This is just fanfiction.

* * *

**Chapter twelve**

_More bad news_

Ino threw herself on her comfy bed as the door of her bedroom closed behind her with a soft _click_. She didn't realize before, but she was already crying and shaking uncontrollably. In other situation, she would have thought: "_C'mon, stop crying! He was just a boy!"_ But Sai wasn't just a boy, she remembered as she started crying harder. Sai was her everything.

Suddenly, a song started playing, and she realized it was coming from her cell phone. Slowly, as if her body weighed too much, Ino stood up and picked up the schoolbag she had thrown violently to the floor. She took out the cellphone and read the screen. It was Sakura.

Ino pressed the _talk_ button and put the phone against her ear. She sniffed and said with a husky voice, "Hello?"

"…You've been crying," Sakura said, her voice soft, and Ino could imagine the worried expression on her face.

Despite her mood, she smiled slightly. "Did you just call me to tell me something I already know?"

"No, I'm sorry. It's just that… well, I'm surprised."

"I'm surprised too." Ino threw the schoolbag on the floor and sat on the edge of her bed. "I've cried for boys before, but not this much. I… I really can't believe how much this hurts me."

"I can't believe it, either," Sakura replied. "But, anyways, let's change the subject. I don't want to hear your loud crying anymore."

Both girls laughed a little. Ino felt proud and happy, because for that little moment, she had forgot about her misery. _Friendship always fixes what love destroyed, _Ino thought with a small smile.

"So," she said, undoing her ponytail with her free hand, "why did you call me?"

"Principally, because I wanted to know how you're doing," Sakura said.

"Well, I'm doing fine. My heart is broken, but it's, you know, okay. I guess."

Sakura chuckled a little. "No matter what, you're still the same old Ino-pig."

Ino sighed. "I'm trying… Anyways, why else did you call me?"

"Well…" She paused and then sighed deeply. "I'm feeling kid of… confused. And guilty. And sad."

Ino frowned slightly. "Why? What happened? Hey, is it because of Hinata?" She sighed. "Listen, Forehead, I feel sad too, but she'll be okay–"

"That's not it," Sakura interrupted. "I mean, I do miss her and everything, but that's not it. Something… something happened with Sasuke. Well, actually, two things happened."

Ino's blue eyes widened. _Did he break up with her?_, was her first thought, and she panicked for a second. She didn't want her best friend's heart to be as broken as hers. But then she thought more about it, and realized that if that was the case, then Sakura wouldn't be sounding so okay; she would be crying and screaming and probably about to kill herself. Ino knew her.

"What happened, Sakura?" Ino asked, sincerely worried and curious.

"Well, we talked," Sakura started, "about Karin. Remember that he told me he didn't love Karin even though they were dating, and I was so freaking confused that I almost cried?"

Ino pursed her lips at the memory. "You _did _cry, actually."

"Whatever…" Sakura sighed. "Well, he told me the reason why he was still with her even though he hated her. He said she made him believe she was pregnant."

Ino gasped. "What a _bitch_! I didn't believe she would be able to get that far…. Oh, hey, but does that mean they did, you know… _it_?"

"Yeah," the pink haired girl replied, sounding kind of angry. "They did. But when we made the spell and Sasuke fell in love with me, he broke up with her, believing he could take care of his baby without necessarily being with Karin. That was when she told him she lied about it."

"Oh my God…" Ino whispered. "That's pretty shocking. How could she do that? You don't play with that kind of stuff."

"I know… But anyways, I didn't actually want to tell you this just to talk shit about Karin. I tell you this because… well, it kind of made me realize that we… kind of _forced_ the guys. I mean, if I hadn't made Sasuke love me, he would still be with Karin right now. The decision he made was good, but it was only because of Kim and the magic."

"But what do you mean with _forced_?" Ino asked, suddenly exasperated. "We didn't threaten them or anything."

"No," Sakura said, "we didn't do anything. Kim did. Because of her, they love us. So it's kind of a… _shallow _love, as if they were hypnotized or something, I don't know." Her voice started shaking. "Ino, I think they don't love us. I mean, they don't actually _love_ us; it isn't something pure and sincere, as it's supposed to be. We… we didn't do something very different of what Karin did."

"_Don't_ say that!" Ino shouted, suddenly forgetting her sadness and feeling very furious. "We're _nothing _like that slut! I mean, we kind of – yeah, _forced _them to love us, but…"

She didn't know what to say next. She was still very shocked and confused, because she had never thought about it that way before. What if Sai didn't actually love her? What if it was something shallow, as Sakura said? What if everything were just lies?

"Lies," Ino finally murmured, and she found herself crying again. "It all had been just lies. Every hug, every kiss, every touch, every word… they were lies. Shallow. Fake. But still, they meant everything to us. They felt real."

Ino heard Sakura sobbing. She was about to tell her something to calm her down a little, when she sniffed. "You're right," she said, and Ino could also hear she was smiling despite her tears. "They felt real. But they were not."

Ino sighed deeply. She threw herself back to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling. She and Sakura were quiet for a long moment, each one deep in thought, until Sakura broke the silence.

"Maybe they have fallen in love with us," she said, her voice full of hope. "Maybe they were forced at first, but they got to know us and they… you know, they liked us, and now they sincerely love us. You know what I mean…?"

"…Yeah, I know what you mean." Ino closed her eyes tightly, and, although she was unsure of it, she said, "Maybe you're right."

* * *

The next day, Ino forced herself to get up from bed and get ready for school. _My life won't end because of him,_ she told herself. _No matter how much it hurts, I have to continue with my life._ But no matter how much she wanted to be the same Ino she used to be, she just didn't feel like wanting to get her hair and her make-up done as she used to. She didn't have to look beautiful for someone anymore, anyways.

When she arrived to the school, with her hair pulled into a messy bun and without a single drop of makeup on her pale face, she forgot about her appearance and felt glad there was finally good news in her life.

"You're meeting Neji's family tomorrow night!"

TenTen nodded happily. "Can you believe it?"

Ino smiled sincerely. "I'm so glad for you, TenTen. And thanks for giving me good news; right now I really need them."

TenTen's smile widened. "You're welcome. But you have to thank me in some other way."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

TenTen blushed. "Well, you know how the Hyuuga family is, and I'm very nervous because I want them to like me, but... I have no idea what to wear."

Ino's smile came back. "Are you serious? That's like making _me_ another favor! I love shopping, and that's actually going to make me happier."

TenTen giggled. "Then I'll see you after school, alright?"

"Alright," Ino agreed, nodding, feeling very excited. Shopping is the best medicine to heal a girl's broken heart, after all.

* * *

Sasuke was tapping his fingertips against his desk. He wasn't paying attention to the teacher; his mind was somewhere else. Naruto, who was sitting behind him, patted his shoulder, and Sasuke turned his head to a side and looked at his best friend from the corner of his eye.

"What?" Sasuke asked in a low voice.

"Are you okay?" Naruto whispered, frowning.

Sasuke turned his head and sighed tiredly. "Yes, I'm fine," he said. He hated how much Naruto knew him, and that he always knew when he was upset. Couldn't he just leave him alone for once?

The bell rang and the teacher dismissed the class. Sasuke packed his stuff slowly, like he didn't want to go yet. And, again, Naruto noticed that.

The blond stood in front of Sasuke as he stood up from his seat. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

"It's none of your business, stupid," Sasuke hissed, glaring at him.

Naruto glared back. "Of course it's my business, jerk. You're my best friend!"

"Unfortunately," Sasuke murmured as he grabbed Naruto's shoulder and pushed him away. He continued walking towards the door, with Naruto yelling behind him.

As he reached the door, a familiar face appeared right in front of him. "Sakura…" Sasuke said, not surprised, but disappointed. He did expect her to be there as soon as his class finished. That kind of things had happened for two weeks now; he was kind of getting used to it, and really annoyed.

"Hi," she said, smiling happily. She linked her arm with his and they continued walking. "How was your class?" she asked casually.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine, I guess."

"Oh, good! Hey, I was wondering if-"

"SASUKE, YOU BASTARD! COME BACK RIGHT NOW!" Naruto yelled from the classroom's door.

Sakura glanced behind them, looking surprised and kind of scared of Naruto's anger, and then looked up to her boyfriend. His face was serene and emotionless. "You're not going to go back?" she asked.

"No," Sasuke stated blankly. "I already know what he wants."

Sakura blinked, confused. "But…"

"I KNOW YOU HEARD ME, JERK! DO NOT IGNORE ME OR I'M GOING TO-!"

"…He sounds kind of angry," she finished, glancing behind them again. "And he's attracting too much attention. Look, everyone is looking at him strangely!"

Sasuke glanced behind him for a moment. Indeed, everyone passing by was staring at the blond cursing and yelling in front of the Chemistry classroom."It's okay," Sasuke told her. "He's used to it."

Sakura stopped walking, pulling Sasuke with her. "Sasuke," she started, looking serious. "Don't be a jerk with your best friend. I agree, he's a loud idiot, but he worries about you. Don't be so mean."

That was it. Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. First, she wanted to know about _everything_ he did; then, she started acting like his bodyguard. And now she wanted to tell him what to do?

"Okay, stop it already," Sasuke said, frowning and giving her the stop-being-so-stupid look.

Sakura looked confused, something that annoyed him even more. "What are you talking about?"

Like hell she didn't know. "You're…" He stopped himself and sighed, trying not to get too angry and hurt her feelings really hard. "You're acting strange, Sakura. And I don't like it. Could you please tell me what made you change so suddenly?" And then, something seemed to click in his mind. "Don't tell me it's because of what I told you about Karin."

"What? No!" the girl replied, shaking her head. "I'm totally over it. Besides, why should I care if you say it meant nothing for you?" Then she smirked in that way that made Sasuke's insides melt and took his hands. "Anyways, my parents are visiting my grandma and they won't be coming back until tomorrow morning. My house is going to be alone for a _really _long time, so…"

He got what she was trying to say, and even though he was dying to say yes and stay with her for the whole afternoon – and maybe the whole night – he was not stupid, and he wouldn't fall for that one. He knew she was just changing the subject.

He shook his head, ignoring his real desires. "Answer me, Sakura."

Sakura's smirk disappeared and she stared into his eyes, clearly nervous. That only made Sasuke more intrigued to know what she was up to.

"I…" she started, "I don't know what you mean. I'm the same as always. Maybe you're the one who's changing and you don't realize…"

He shook his head again. "No, no, I'm not the one who's hiding something in here. You know I tell you everything and that I've never lied to you."

"I know it…" Sakura looked down and seemed to be at the verge of tears, but he couldn't stop – not now.

"Sakura, I love you." It was hard for him to say that, because it was the first time he did it, but he needed her to know it, no matter what. "But, lately, I've been feeling like I don't know you anymore, and I don't think we should keep this going like this."

Her whole body seemed to freeze then. "What do you mean with '_this_'?" she asked, her voice shaking and her lower lip trembling. "You mean you and me? Are you..." She held back a sob. "Are you, like, breaking up with me?"

Sasuke didn't say anything. He could do nothing but stare at her and wish things would be different.

Sakura let that sob go. "Alright… I understand. If that's what you want…"

"It's not what I want…"

She ignored him. "Then there's nothing I can do to stop you." She turned around and walked away – or actually _ran_ away. Her footsteps were too fast, but that was maybe because she wanted to get as far as possible from him now, because now she… she hated him.

Sasuke let go of the breath he was holding and ran a hand through his dark locks. He felt so tired… completely exhausted. He just felt like going home and sleep until the next day, in an attempt to not think about her – to not get too sad.

Sighing again, he turned around, and hoped that wasn't going to be the last time she talked to him.

* * *

TenTen and Ino were shopping the whole afternoon. And it was one of the hardest times Ino had ever had shopping. She had nice tastes – everyone said that, she wasn't just being arrogant – but TenTen… well, let's say she didn't have enough experience on fashion.

"_This_?" Ino asked, cringing at the sight of a weird-green dress that not even her grandmother would've dared to wear.

"Yeah." TenTen seemed one hundred percent sure that it was the kind of dress that would give a good impression to Neji's family. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Uhh… yeah, but not pretty enough." Ino threw away the horrible dress, wondering who dared to desing that crap and sell it to the people. "Hey, why don't you let _me _choose? You'll like my choices better."

"Okay," the brunette shrugged. "But please don't choose some slutty dress, alright? I don't want Neji's parents to think I'm someone I'm definitely not."

_And with that dress that you chose before they wouldn't think that?,_ Ino thought, but just nodded and pushed her friend out of the store to go to another one.

At the end of the day, the girls went home with a beautiful pink dress, strapless, but discreet enough – just _perfect_ to meet your boyfriend's family, as Ino described it. Ino stayed in TenTen's house a little longer, to show her what makeup she should wear and the hairstyle that would look good with her new dress.

Just when the sky was getting dark, Ino decided it was time for her to go home.

"Thanks for today, Ino," TenTen told her at the door.

"It's nothing." Ino smiled. "It was good for me too, anyways. Shopping made me forget about my depression."

TenTen smiled sadly. "I almost forgot about that."

"Yeah, me too." The blonde shook her head, not wanting to remember _it_ right now. "Anyways, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, bye."

Ino's house wasn't too far away from TenTen's, so she decided she could walk. The streets were kind of crowded anyways, so it wasn't dangerous. Besides, she liked walking through the streets at night. The fresh smell of the night made her feel relaxed; it made her forget, something she desperately needed right now.

Out of nowhere, she felt like taking out her cell phone, just four blocks away from her house. When she opened it, she saw the screen and gasped. It said that Sakura had called her twenty one times and left her thirteen messages. Worried, Ino read one of the messages, and she stopped walking.

_**Ino, he did it. He broke up with me. And I think I was right about what I told you before. I think they aren't forced to love us anymore; they do love us now. But seems like I screwed it up. **_

Panicking, Ino read another message, and another, and another.

_**It was my entire fault. He got tired of me; I was too clingy. I was too fucking insecure to realize that he did love me, in spite of the spell and all the other crap. I'm so stupid!**_

_**Ino, I need you. The pain in my chest is so fucking unbearable… I hope you can save me. I guess I just need to talk; to let it out. Please call me or come to my house.**_

_**I wish I would go back in time. I wish I would've never done the things I did. I wish… I would've never born. Life lost its sense now that he hates me. I feel very lonely. **_

"Oh, my God," Ino whispered, and felt her eyes watering. Why in the world did she ignore her cell phone for so long? Sakura needed her, and she left her alone for too long now. What if she already did something reckless? Ino would never forgive herself.

She turned around and started running, not caring Sakura's house was almost fifteen blocks away from where she was.

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock, and Sakura was supposed to be sleeping by now. She needed her eight hours of sleep. But tonight… tonight she gave a damn about everything. She was too focused on her grief, too miserable to care about stupid things like sleeping. She was too fucked up.

Locked in her room, she had spent the whole afternoon crying, laying on her bed with her pajamas on, and with a pile of dirty tissues by her left. Her head ached and her eyes burned; she had cried too much. But she just couldn't stop it.

She felt something inside her chest, hurting her, begging her to be freed. Sakura cried and cried, sobbed and sobbed, screamed and screamed… but the pain just wouldn't go away. The thing inside of her couldn't escape, and she just realized the thing was her heart – her broken heart begging to stop the pain, to be healed. But that was impossible.

Suddenly, someone knocked at her door. She guessed it was her mom again, trying to know what was wrong. And it was her mom, but she wasn't trying to talk to her. Sakura's mom was there to tell her Ino had come.

Sakura jumped off her bed and ran downstairs. She saw her best friend standing in the living room, waiting for Sakura's mom, and Sakura ran to her arms.

She hugged her tightly. "Ino," she sobbed, feeling very thankful.

"It's okay…" Ino murmured, hugging her back, and Sakura was surprised to realize they were both crying.

Best friends did share feelings, after all.

* * *

Notes: Yeah, best friends _do_ share feelings. When I'm sad, happy, bored or angry, my bf feels the same way, and it's so weird that it's awesome :D **REVIEW IF YOU LOVE YOUR BF TOO! :3**


	13. How love spells really work

Notes: I was listening to William Fitzsimmons while I wrote this. His voice is so beautifully depressing! D:

Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. ):

* * *

**Chapter thirteen**

_How love spells really work_

TenTen scratched her head for the tenth time in the night. She hoped Neji's father, who was staring at her as if she had two heads and five eyes, didn't think she had lice or something, because the real reason she did that was because she was really nervous.

She didn't expect the dinner to be this… awkward. She had met Neji's family before, and they had been polite. But now that they knew she was Neji's girlfriend, they didn't seem nice anymore. His father had been staring at her and asking her weird questions like "What are you going to do for living when you grow up?" and "How many kids would you like to have?", and his mother glared every time she looked at TenTen.

They didn't seem to like her, and TenTen was panicking. If Neji's parents hated her, things would get difficult. She hoped they wouldn't be cruel enough to force Neji to break up with her. But she tried to stay calmed. _They probably are just testing me because they want a good girl for their son_, she told herself, _and I have to make them realize that I am that girl._

Beside her, Neji coughed discreetly. "Dad," he said, and said man stopped staring at TenTen to look at his son. "TenTen used to practice karate, too, and she was really good."

"Ah, really?" Neji's father said, raising his eyebrows and smirking. He looked at TenTen again. "But you don't practice anymore?"

TenTen shook her head. "No, I stopped when I was thirteen, because I thought karate wasn't an appropriate sport for a girl."

TenTen smiled, thinking she gave a good answer. But the concerned looks her in-laws gave her made her smile vanish. She heard Neji sighing.

"Every Hyuuga woman practices karate," Neji's mother said. "It is a tradition. That was actually how I met Neji's father; we both won first place in an important tournament when we were teenagers. Even Hinata practices karate, though she isn't great. So I don't agree with your opinion, darling; karate is a wonderful sport, and everyone can practice it."

Her tone seemed to say, "_You don't know what you're messing with, so shut up_," and TenTen wanted to disappear in that same moment. Luckily, she quickly found a way to get out of that embarrassing situation.

"I said I _thought_ it wasn't an appropriate sport for a girl," she said. "But I realized later that I was wrong. Sexes don't really matter. And I still love karate, but I started to get into swimming and it became my passion."

That seemed to shut Neji's mother up, and TenTen smiled.

"So you swim now," Neji's father said and TenTen nodded. "You seem to like sports very much."

"I do," TenTen replied, and she was glad they finally got into a conversation she enjoyed. "When I'm running, swimming, kicking or whatever, I feel like a totally different person. I feel completely free. And I don't care people may think I'm a tomboy because I like to do exercise, which is totally not true." At this, Neji's mother smiled, pleased. "I just like to do what I like to do, and I like to be who I am, and no one can change that."

Neji's father smirked and nodded. "You are very wise, TenTen," he said, calling her by her name for the first time in the night. "Now I know why Neji picked you as his first girlfriend."

TenTen beamed and turned to Neji, who had a microscopic blush on his pale cheeks. She couldn't believe it; she was Neji's first girlfriend _ever_?

She couldn't be happier.

"Thank you, Mr. Hyuuga!" TenTen said, and smiled widely at Neji, who only smirked back.

* * *

America was boring. Especially New York. Or so Hinata thought. Probably if her friends would have been there with her she would have had a good time walking though the colorful streets and going to those cool places she heard her soon-to-be step-mother talking about. But they weren't. She only had her Dad and that shallow fiancé of his, Ashley; but they were too busy having a romantic dinner somewhere away from her. So, practically, Hinata was completely and miserably alone.

The only good thing was that she had a large, luxurious room for her own in one of the best hotels in the city. But after more than ten hours locked in there, things started to get boring. She already jumped on the queen-size bed until she was out of breath; she already saw what channels the TV had; she already ate a delicious desert… There was nothing else to do, and she wasn't allowed to go out by herself (not that she would've dare; new places she didn't know scared her).

Hinata was BORED.

She sat on the couch near the window and stared at the lights of the city. Tears clouded her sight when she started thinking about her friends… and about Naruto.

Aww, Naruto, she groaned mentally, lying down and putting a hand on her forehead as she started sobbing. She missed him; she missed him so much. She wanted to put her arms around him and smell that familiar cologne of his mixed with the faint smell of ramen. But she couldn't, because she was here, in New York City, and he was there, in Japan…

The high-pitched sound of the telephone ringing made Hinata jump and fall off the couch. She groaned an, "Ouch, that hurt," but quickly stood up and picked up the phone.

"_Hello?" _she said, in English, of course, because now she was in America.

"_Umm_… Hello?" A familiar voice with a strong Japanese accent said in English, and Hinata's gray eyes widened. "Is Hinata home?"

"Na-Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, smiling.

"_Hinata?" _he asked.

"Who else?" Hinata asked, speaking in their mother tongue again.

"_Ah, is it really you_?" Naruto asked. "_Wow, you have a really good American accent_." He laughed.

Hinata laughed, too. "Yeah, thank you, and, no offense, but yours suck."

"_I know." _She could hear the grin on his face. "_How are you, Hinata_?"

"Not good," she murmured as the smile disappeared from her face. She sat on the edge of the bed. "I kind of miss Japan."

"_And that's the only thing you miss?"_

Hinata smiled again. "No. There's something else I miss even more. Someone else, actually."

"_Oh, and who is it? Sakura? Ino? TenTen? Maybe Temari…?"_

Hinata giggled. "Yeah, I miss them, too. But I miss you even more, Naruto."

"_Are you serious? Why would you miss me, Hinata? I'm not worth it!_" he joked and they both laughed. "_Okay, to be honest, I… miss you, too, Hinata. A lot."_

Hinata's eyes started to water and her lower lip trembled. She quickly laughed and blinked the tears away. "You're going to make me cry!" she said.

"_You already made me cry._" Naruto sighed deeply. "_You don't imagine how painful it is to see my friends with their girlfriends while I don't have you here with me."_

"At least you're not dealing with a stupid American woman who's about to be your new Mom," Hinata murmured, frowning at the memory of Ashley and the annoying smell of her cheap perfume.

"_Is she really that bad?" _Naruto asked.

"You've no idea. She just wants to marry my Father because he's rich. She doesn't even love him. Actually, I don't think she loves anyone but herself."

"_Sounds bad,_" Naruto admitted. "_But you've to pretend you like her, right? Even if you don't. Because either way your Dad's isn't going to let you come back to Japan_."

"I know," Hinata sighed. "I really kind of hate him right now. He doesn't leave me another choice. I tried to tell him what I really think about his fiancé once, but I've told you how he is. He just started yelling at me and saying I was being a selfish little brat and blah, blah, blah."

"_Damn, he seems more high-tempered than Sakura! I don't know what I'm going to do when I ask for his permission to marry you. He's gonna kill me_!" Naruto laughed, but Hinata didn't laugh with him. She froze, with her eyes wide and her mouth agape. When she didn't reply for a while, Naruto asked worriedly, "_Hinata? Are you still there?"_

"Uh… yeah." She bit her lips nervously for an instant. "But what you said… would you marry me, Naruto?"

"_Are you proposing to me? But _I_ am the one who has to propose to _you!"

She couldn't help but smile. "No… no, Naruto, I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm just asking... would you really marry me? Is that what you want?"

Naruto paused for a moment, in which Hinata started to panic. What if she said something wrong? What if he got the wrong message? What if she hurt his feelings? Or what if her questions made him think harder and decide that he actually would never marry her?

But then Naruto laughed and finally said, "_Of course I wanna marry you! I mean, I know we've been together for only, like, four months or so, but… wow, it's embarrassing to say this, but… I think I love you."_

He said the last part so lowly that Hinata barely heard him, but she did. A wide smile appeared on her face and her cheeks turned very pink. And when she replied, "I think I love you too, Naruto," she suddenly forgot about everything but the person laughing through the phone she held tightly against her ear.

* * *

"A toast to TenTen!" Ino exclaimed happily, raising her glass to the brunette in front of her. Sakura and Temari, both at either sides of her, raised their glasses too and cheered.

"Thanks, girls," TenTen giggled, raising her glass. "But, hey, Ino, you deserve some credit, too. Without you and your awesome skills at choosing cute dresses, Neji's family would've never approved me."

"A toast to Ino, too, then!" Sakura exclaimed, and the four girls sitting on the carpet of TenTen's room raised their glasses once again.

As they drank the apple juice in their glasses, Sakura started to think about Hinata. How I wish you were here, toasting with us, she thought nostalgically. It had been a month since her friend had left to America, and things were definitely not the same.

Sakura felt so incomplete lately. First, Hinata left, and then, she broke up with Sasuke; what was next? It was as if her world was slowly starting to shatter in thousand pieces…

"Sakura," Ino called her, waving a hand in front of the pink haired girl´s face. "Earth to Sakura! Are you still there?"

Sakura blinked and looked at her, startled. "I'm sorry… I was deep in thought," she said.

"Yeah, I could see that." Ino smiled sadly. "Thinking about _him_, huh?"

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah. But also about Hinata. I miss her… and, yeah, I miss _him_ too, I guess."

Ino sighed and took a sip of her juice. "Yeah, I miss my ex-boyfriend too. It's funny, you know? I just realized that I became single just a day before you."

Sakura laughed. "Hey, it's true… Anyways, let's not think about men tonight, okay?" She turned to the other side, expecting to see Temari and TenTen sitting there, but they weren't. "Hey, where are the others?"

"Wow, you really spaced out," Ino laughed. "They went downstairs to bring some more apple juice."

Sakura started to say something else, when they suddenly heard a tapping noise coming from the window. The two girls stood up, alarmed, and carefully started walking towards the window. Is it a burglar?, Sakura wondered as her heart beat furiously against her chest. Ino reached for the window's lock, but before her fingertips even touched it, the window's doors flew open.

"Boo!" a dark-haired girl exclaimed, jumping inside the room, making Sakura and Ino scream and fall to the floor.

"Dammit, Kim, you scared the shit out of us!" Sakura yelled, taking deep breaths, when she recognized the girl – well, fairy – standing in front of her.

"I swear I almost got a heart attack," Ino said, as she and Sakura started to stand up. "Why the fuck did you do that?"

Kim was smirking, with her hands on her hips. She shrugged and said, "I don't know. Just for fun, I guess." When the girls glared at her, she rolled her eyes and added: "What? You humans can't take an innocent prank?"

"What's going on?" Temari asked, alarmed, as she ran into the room, with TenTen behind her. They stopped when they saw Kim. "And what are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Kim replied, frowning. "Didn't you look at the sky tonight?"

Ino looked at the window and saw the moon; it was silver, bright, beautiful… and of the shape of a perfect circle. "It's full moon," she whispered, and when the other girls heard her, they followed her gaze.

"It's true," TenTen said and she turned to Kim, frowning. "But you were supposed to come in the morning, weren't you? Besides, you didn't have to enter my house like that."

Kim smiled wider. "C'mon, it was funny! Besides, you should've seen these girls' faces." She pointed Sakura and Ino and laughed. "They were priceless! But anyways, I only came earlier because… well, I don't know, I had nothing else to do, I guess." She shrugged.

Ino sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. "Whatever. Whose turn is now?"

"I remember I said Sakura." Kim smiled at said girl.

Sakura sighed. It had been less than a month since she broke up with the boy she loved the most and she really didn't feel like being a ghost for a day while a fairy gets into her body and explored the human world.

She was having troubles, and all of them had to do with her ex-boyfriend. There was nothing between them anymore… nothing, not even friendship. She had acted as if she couldn't see him ever since they broke up, but the pained look he gave her every time she ignored his existence was a torture for her. Sakura just wanted to hug him and tell him that she loved him and that she never wanted to leave his side. But she couldn't. Her stupid ego kept saying things like, "He hurt you and he doesn't deserve your love," and she knew it was right, so she listened to it.

So if Kim screwed something up in her already screwed up life, Sakura wouldn't be able to bare it anymore.

"Hey, Kim?" Sakura said to the fairy, smiling kindly. "Why don't you take TenTen's body first?"

Kim gave her a skeptical look. "Why?"

"Well… because…" Damn, she didn't have an excuse. "Ugh, I don't know, Kim! Just… Please, I'm begging you. Let me be the last one."

Kim looked like she was going to say no. Sakura panicked for a second. But then TenTen stepped forward and said, "C'mon, Kim. Let her be the last one. I really want to, you know, pay you, as soon as possible."

The fairy started considering it then, and after a few moments, she finally said, "Alright, whatever. But next month you won't have any more chances, Sakura."

Sakura smiled with relief and nodded. She gave TenTen a grateful look, who only smiled back.

"You better not ruin my life while you're in my body, Kim," TenTen warned the blue-eyed fairy.

"I'll try," Kim said as she took a step back to be exactly two meters away from TenTen.

Sakura and the two blondes of the group watched as Kim closed her eyes and put her palms together. The fairy's form started to disappear at the same time as they heard a gasp. Then they heard TenTen's voice saying, "So cool!"

"Alright," TenTen – now Kim – said, clapping her hands. "Last time, when I borrowed Ino's body, we had some problems, remember?" The girls only rolled their eyes at the memory of skipping school to find out where the hell Kim had gone. "So it's more convenient if I tell you what my plans are," Kim continued. "TenTen is going to skip school for a day. Tell people she's sick or something. I'll finish exploring the city tomorrow. But tonight I'm going to explore something that a fairy friend of mine told me about called Internet or something."

"Internet?" Temari repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, my friend said it was part of the human world, too. And since I'm going to be nice and let TenTen look like a good girl that doesn't go out in the night in front of her parents, I'll stay up all night locked in the room."

"Stay up?" TenTen's voice was heard. Sakura noticed it seemed to come from her left. She had a kind-of-ghost beside her, but it wasn't creepy. Cool.

"You think I'd waste my time sleeping?" Kim laughed. "Hell no! Time is gold, kiddo. And the deal with you guys is getting over; I actually have just two days left to know how being human feels like, and I'm not gonna waste them."

TenTen sighed. "Whatever," she mumbled. "But try to be discreet, because I'm not allowed to let the computer on all night."

"Compu-what?" Kim said, making a face.

"She doesn't know what a computer is," Ino murmured, shaking her head.

"I have the feeling that this is going to be a long night," Sakura said as she ran a hand though her hair.

* * *

"Hey, Kim?" Sakura said lowly to the fairy in her friend's body.

It was past midnight. She had just finished teaching Kim how to use the computer and the Internet, and the room would've been completly dark if it wasn't because of the computer and the moonlight coming from the window They were lying on the sleeping bags they had spread on the floor of TenTen's room, with the computer in front of them, as Temari, Ino and TenTen's invisible spirit slept on TenTen's queen size bed.

Kim was currently very amused as she read in Wikipedia false articles, as she had called them, about her kind: the fairies. She didn't even look away from the screen of TenTen's laptop as she replied an, "Hm?"

"I need to ask you something," Sakura said. Her heart started beating faster, and the beats were so loud that she thought even Kim heard them.

"Uh-huh," Kim mumbled again, as she clicked on the word "ethereal" and started to read a new article.

"It's something really important," Sakura said, kind of louder this time, and getting annoyed.

Kim got her pay-attention-to-me! message and looked at her. "What?" she spat back.

"Okay, um…" She wet her lips and looked away. "I was wondering… Uh, first of all, I have some news to give you. I… well… Sasuke and I broke up."

"Really?" Kim asked, but she didn't sound interested at all.

"Yeah. I… I kind of started to get too clingy because I was afraid of losing him, but… he sort of got tired of me and, well, dumped me." Despite the lump in her throat as she said this, Sakura smiled, as if her pathetic-ness was funny.

"So?" Kim said, turning to the screen again. "What's your real point?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Sakura paused. Was she really going to say this? It was a weird idea, she knew that. But the thought had been trapped in her head for too long, and it was getting her crazy. She had to try, at least. "Would it be possible for me to make him fall in love with me again?" she finally said. "With a love spell, I mean."

Kim looked at her, and Sakura was surprised to see that the fairy didn't seem to be expecting that question. "Are you serious?" she asked, and Sakura nodded. "Well… I think it is possible."

Sakura's green eyes widened. She felt something tickle inside of her stomach, the same kind of feeling she felt when Sasuke asked her to be his girlfriend. There is hope, was the only thought in her mind, and, for the first time since she broke up with Sasuke, she felt really happy.

"But I have to warn you something," Kim suddenly said, and her tone made Sakura's mood change. She turned to her and noticed that the frown in her – TenTen's – forehead wasn't an angry frown. It was a… worried frown. But… why would Kim worry?

"Sakura," Kim said, staring into her eyes. "A fairy spell is destined to bring happiness to humans, even if they have to pay us something back. The love spells are the most difficult ones. Do you have any idea why?"

Sakura shook her head as she wondered, What the hell is her point?

"It's because they don't exactly make people fall in love," Kim said. "Not even magic can play with humans' feelings."

"Then how do they work?" Sakura asked, now confused.

Kim smiled. "What our love spells do is making the person unable to take you out of his mind for an entire day. If the person feels absolutely nothing for you, he'll think it was just a weird day and forget about it, and then the spell will result as a failure and the fairy will have to explain you what I'm explaining you now. But if the person already feels something for you, the spell will kind of open his eyes and make him realize…"

"… that he loves me," Sakura finished for her and Kim nodded.

It all made sense now. They hadn't forced the boys to fall in love with them; it wasn't against their will. They could've forgotten about them; everything could've stayed the same. But the boys did feel something for them. They liked them, probably as much as the girls liked them back. The boys just needed to realize what their real feelings were.

Sakura covered her mouth with a hand to quiet her sobs. If only she would've known this before, Sasuke and she wouldn't have broken up!

"Why are you crying?" Kim asked, making a face.

Sakura shook her head. It wasn't time to cry; she needed to know more. She sniffed and said, "So if I make the spell and Sasuke thinks about me during an entire day, he won't fall in love with me again, because he now hates me, right?"

"Uh… if you put it like that… well, yes," Kim replied as she clicked into an article about Lilith. "I don't think it would make him love you. He'll actually get annoyed for thinking so much about you, and probably hate you even more."

Sakura sighed and turned over to lie on her back. She stared at ceiling and murmured to herself, "So there's no hope for me. Sasuke won't love me again. It's… it's really over."

* * *

Ino heard the whole conversation.

She couldn't sleep at night. Ever since she broke up with Sai, she had slept for only five or four hours per day. But Temari was snoring lowly beside her, and she was sure TenTen's invisibility didn't keep her from sleeping. She didn't want to wake her friends up, so she decided to just lie on the bed, listening to Kim's constant comments about how false Wikipedia's articles were, until she could finally sleep.

But then Sakura asked Kim a question Ino couldn't ignore. She heard Kim's answer, realizing the fairy sounded as honest as ever, and her heart skipped a few beats.

To be honest, she also had Sakura's idea. She also hoped she could make the spell again to have her Sai back. But now that she knew how the spell worked, Ino knew that was impossible. Even if Sai couldn't get her out of his mind for an entire day, it wouldn't make a big difference, because she knew how much Sai loved his art. A day of missing his ex-girlfriend would not make him throw away the happiness he must've been having in France, with his mother and his art school.

A tear ran down her cheek as Sakura murmured the same words Ino was thinking.

____

_It's over. It's really over. _

* * *

Notes: Longest chapter evaaaaaaa! D: Anyways... One word: Revieeeeeeeeeew *w*


	14. Suspense time

Disclaimer: Characters are borrowed :)

* * *

**Chapter fourteen**

_Suspense time_

When Temari arrived to her house the next day after school, she was surprised to find her father waiting for her.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Temari asked the man sitting on the living room's couch as the door closed behind her.

"Why didn't you come home last night?" her father asked, clearly angry, ignoring her question. "Where have you been, Temari?"

"I left a message to your secretary," Temari replied, annoyed. "I told her to tell you that I was sleeping at TenTen's house and that I was coming back today right after school. It's not my fault that you have such a stupid secretary, father."

"Watch you language, young lady," he warned her, standing up from his seat. "It's good that you decided to at least let me know, but it angers me that you didn't _ask _for my _permission_. Who do you think you are, girl? I'm your father and you're my daughter. You must listen to my opinion before you make decisions."

"I'm sorry, father, but I think I'm not a little girl anymore. I'll be eighteen in a few months and I'm gonna leave to college. I'm going to be an independent person and I independent people don't need their parents to advise them."

"Yes, you're right." He started to walk towards and stopped when he stood right in front of his daughter. Temari felt so tiny and defenseless in front of to him, but she tried to hide it. "You'll be independent soon. But it hasn't happened yet, has it? Besides, how can you be independent if I am the one who's going to pay for your college?"

"I've told you before," she replied, "I'm going to get a job."

"Whatever you say, daughter." Temari's father started walking back to the couch. "Just make sure your actions speak louder than your words."

Temari tried to stop frowning. _Don't get angry_, she told herself, _just calm down_. She turned around and ran upstairs. She bit her lips when an image of her mother appeared in her mind, and she felt like crying. _Mom, if you were here, things would be so different_, she thought, but then remembered that if her mother would've been alive right now, Gaara wouldn't.

When her bedroom's door closed behind her, Temari let out a sob and threw herself on the bed. She hugged a pillow tightly against her face as she started to cry.

Her life was an utter shit, or so she believed. Two days ago, her father gave her the worst bad news ever: they were going to move back to Suna, their home town, and Temari was going to go to the Suna University.

The worst part of it was that she didn't know how to tell her friends and her boyfriend that she was leaving Konoha as soon as she finished her last high school year. They had their own problems, and giving them another problem to worry about didn't sound fair. But not letting them know what was going to happen didn't sound fair, either. Temari supposed she just needed to wait for the right moment to tell them.

There was a knock on her door. She jumped up from the bed and wiped her wet cheeks, even though she knew it was useless; people would see her eyes and instantly know she had been crying. But still, Temari hated to look weak in front of other people, especially if those people were her brothers.

"Come in," she said loudly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

The door opened and Gaara stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and sat beside his sister. "I guess that asking if you're okay is stupid, because I know you're not okay," he started. "But I'll do it anyways, because I think it sounds nice. So… are you okay?"

Temari couldn't help but smile. "Gaara, you're so weird."

"May I take that answer as a: No, little brother, but I'll be fine soon, so don't worry and thanks for asking?"

Temari laughed. "Yes, you may."

The corners of his mouth moved slightly upwards, and Temari knew was smiling – in his own, weird way, but he was – and that something that didn't happen every day. He put an arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Temari," he assured her. "I know it's hard for you to leave your friends behind, but life is all about moving on.

"How did you know I'm sad about that?" she asked. The truth was that she was actually sad because she missed the happy, careless man her father used to be before her mother died and Gaara was born. But she couldn't admit that to Gaara; he already had a lot of problems with their father. Besides, she was sad about leaving Konoha, too, so that wasn't exactly a lie.

"I know my older sister," Gaara replied. "But anyways, let me continue. You'll miss people here, yes, but there are new experiences and new people waiting for you in the future and you just have to be brave if you want to succeed."

"That's so… _corny_," she mumbled, smirking.

"Yeah, thank you. I worked really hard."

Temari laughed and wrapped her arms around her brother. "Thanks, little brother," she told him.

As Gaara hugged her back, Temari thought that maybe her mother wasn't alive, but she had Gaara with her, and she was glad that was enough.

* * *

The next day at school, Ino walked into the classroom with a huge smile on her face. When Sakura saw her, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The last time she had seen her best friend smile like that was when Sai asked her to be his girlfriend. Besides, it hadn't been so long since Ino broke up with him; just like four days or so. Wasn't she supposed to be still depressed? It wasn't as if Sakura liked to see her best friend depressed, but it was just impossible that Ino had forgotten about that boy so easily. As much as Sakura knew, Ino had been really in love.

_Maybe she bought some really cool pair of shoes yesterday_, Sakura suddenly thought. Yeah, it definitely had to be that. Why else would a girl look so happy only four days after she broke up with the love of her life?

"Hello!" Ino greeted happily as she took a seat beside her pink-haired friend.

"Hi," Sakura replied. "Um, why are you so happy today, Ino?"

Ino frowned. "What's wrong with it? Can't I be happy for no reason?"

"Yeah, you can, but it's weird, dude."

Ino rolled her eyes and played with her ponytail. "Alright, you win. The truth is that there _is_ a reason why I'm so happy this beautiful Tuesday, my friend." She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her sweater and took out two rectangle-shaped papers that looked like a pair of…

"Tickets?"

Ino nodded. "Yep, tickets." She handed one of them to Sakura. "Go ahead, read it."

Sakura took the ticket and did as Ino said. It was a ticket for a marionettes-themed art exposition at the museum. "An art exposition," Sakura said at loud, "today at seven o' clock." She looked up at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell…?"

Ino looked utterly offended. "Excuse me, I think you mean: Thanks, my beautiful friend, for spending your money in a ticket for me; I'm so grateful that I will forever love you."

Sakura rolled her green eyes. "This is the most random thing you've ever done, Ino. Why do you invite me to a lame marionettes-themed art exposition? What made you think I like marionettes, anyways? And how the hell did you find out about this? You don't even like art."

"I do like art!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "It's cool. But anyways, if you really want to know, I bought the tickets because someone invited me. I didn't want to go alone, so I decided to invite you. But I can invite TenTen or Temari if you don't wanna go, you know?"

"Who invited you?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

A smirk appeared on Ino's face as she looked away. "_Someone,"_ was all she said.

Sakura didn't feel like insisting. "Whatever." She looked down at the ticket she was holding in her hand. _I don't think it's going to be that bad_, a voice in her head suddenly told her. _Maybe marionettes are cooler than you imagine._

"So, you want to go or not?" Ino asked her.

Sakura looked up at her friend and then glanced down at the ticket. She smiled. "I guess it can be fun," she admitted.

Ino clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "Great! It's going to be so awesome, Sakura."

Sakura smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. I have a feeling that it will be really cool, too."

* * *

TenTen was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. She was bored; and really worried; but more worried than bored.

She turned her head and glanced at the red alarm clock on the night table. It was past seven pm. She turned her head and stared back at the white clean ceiling, wondering just when the hell Kim was going to arrive home.

Five minutes later, TenTen's impatience grew and she jumped off the bed. She took the cell phone lying carelessly on the floor and her fingers pressed the buttons as fast as she could.

_**Temari, Kim said she'd be back when the sky got dark but it's already dark and she's not here. I'm starting to worry. Could you please pick me up and search for her with me? I'm begging you!**_

When she sent the text, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding the cell phone tightly. She scratched her head uncontrollably until, three minutes later, Temari replied.

_**Of course I can, don't worry, TenTen. I'll be there in five minutes.**_

TenTen sighed with relief and texted a short "Thanks!" back. She stood up and walked towards her closet. She took out a hoodie and put it on as she wondered how it was possible that she could move and hold things and be heard but she couldn't be seen. It was just as if she was a ghost, and it was creepy, but also kind of cool.

Soundlessly, she opened her door and stepped out of her bedroom. Her footsteps weren't heard on the carpeted floor, but when she stepped on the wood floor of the stairs and her foot thumped loudly the surface, she froze. Her parents were downstairs, watching the TV in the living room, and they believed their daughter was at a friend's house to do homework and the house was empty except for them. If they heard footsteps on the stairs but didn't see anyone there, they'd freak out and call a priest or a medium or something. TenTen had to be unnoticed.

So she walked slowly, trying to lay her feet on the steps as softly and soundlessly as she could. It took her five minutes to finish the stairs, but her parents heard nothing.

TenTen glanced at the door and cursed under her breath. How was she supposed to open the door without making a noise now?

But then, she heard a knock on the door, and she jumped with surprise. Her mother stood up from the living room's couch and walked towards the door to open it. When she did it, both TenTen and her mother smiled.

"Hi, Temari!" TenTen's mother greeted cheerfully. She was a very nice woman and always treated her daughter's friends like her other daughters. "What a nice surprise to see you here!"

"Thank you. Good to see you too." Temari glanced at the stairs. "Is TenTen home?"

"No, she's at a friend's house, doing homework," TenTen's mother replied. "She'll be here in an hour or so."

"Really? Oh. Well, thanks. Good night," Temari said.

"Yeah, good night to you too, honey."

Temari smiled, turned around and started walking away. TenTen's mother started to close the door, and just then TenTen had an idea_. I should get out now that the door's open_, she thought, but then she cursed at loud when she realized her mother was closing the door and she couldn't get out now.

Her mother's eyes widened slightly and she opened the door again. "Did you say something, darling?" she asked Temari.

Temari stopped, turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Um, no, I didn't say anything."

The door was open again, and TenTen hurried though it. When she was finally out, she smiled with satisfaction.

"Oh, okay," TenTen's mother said to Temari. "Sorry, I thought I heard you speaking."

"It's alright. Good night," Temari replied, smiling politely.

"Good night, Temari," the woman said, and closed the door.

Temari stood there for a minute, still facing the door, and then she asked lowly, "Are you here, TenTen?"

"Yeah," TenTen said. "I'm right beside you."

"Oh God, this is weird. I'm talking to someone invisible."

TenTen giggled. "You'll get used to it. Thanks for coming, Temari."

"You're welcome." Temari turned around and started walking towards the car parked by the sidewalk, taking her keys out of her hoodie's pocket. "I'm worried too, anyways. Kim could be in danger, and if she's hurt, then your body is hurt."

"And if she dies, my body dies too," TenTen added, getting even more worried.

"Yeah, I guess so." Temari opened the pilot's door and got in the car. Once she was sitting on her seat, she stretched her arm and unlocked the co-pilot door to let TenTen in. When TenTen did so, they both closed the doors, and Temari continued, "But that's kind of pessimistic. I don't think you'd have such a bad luck."

"Well, lately, I've been having really good luck," TenTen replied as Temari turned the engine on. "I mean, my boyfriend's parents like me and the dinner with them was good. But I've heard that after a really good day, the next day will be very crappy. It's like karma or something. You can't have good or bad luck forever. You'll have really good days, and then you'll have really bad days. I already had a really good day, so it's the really bad day's turn now."

"Or maybe you'll keep having good luck today, but tomorrow will be the crappy day. Who knows?" Temari said and she pulled the car into the street. "Just don't be pessimistic and focus on finding that damn fairy."

TenTen sighed, hoping Temari would be right. Then, she turned to the window and started watching the people on the sidewalks, searching for a girl who looked just like her.

* * *

Ino and Sakura arrived to the museum seven minutes after 7 o' clock. They noticed that the museum was full that night. Sakura was surprised, but she supposed that maybe there was another cooler art exposition going on besides the marionettes-themed one, and that people were there to see the cooler one.

But when they arrived to the room where the exposition was, she couldn't believe people liked marionettes so much. She was very surprised, but even more curious, and that good feeling she had had before grew.

"Saks, darling," Ino told her, grabbing her shoulders and looking into her eyes with a serious expression. "Listen to me. I need you to do me a favor. You stay here, watch the marionettes, enjoy the exposition, have fun, and let me disappear from your side for only _five_ minutes, because I have to-"

"Oh no," Sakura interrupted her, shaking her head and widening her eyes. "No, no, _no_ Ino! You're _so_ not going to leave me alone here. What if someone kidnaps me? What if I get lost? What if the marionettes come to life and attack me?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "C'mon, don't be dramatic. Only five minutes, Sakura. Please!"

"But why?"

"Remember the guy that invited me here?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "It was a guy?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point! I have to find him and thank him for inviting me and say hi and stuff."

"You don't have to."

"I'm a polite person, Sakura. I do have to."

"Are you sure? Because, in my opinion, it seems like you actually _want_ to."

Ino rolled her eyes again and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Now, are you going to give me permission, mom?"

Sakura shrugged. "Do whatever you want, Ino. But just tell me something: are you going to introduce me to him?"

Ino smirked. "Of course I will… eventually. I just met him, dude. I need to get to know him before introduce him to my best friend. Besides, what if you like him and seduce him and take him away from me?"

Sakura laughed. "Do you really think I'm that much of a slut?"

"Of course not, darling." She blew her a kiss. "Gotta go. I'll search for you when I finish."

Ino turned around and walked away. Sakura stared at her until she got lost in the crowd, wondering how it was possible that Ino had met another guy not even a week after she lost the boy she loved. It made her look like a heartless bitch. But Sakura knew Ino wasn't a heartless bitch. She just had the chance to forget about Sai, why wouldn't she take it? No one wanted to suffer forever, and of course Ino wanted another boyfriend to make her happy.

Besides, in her place, Sakura would have done the same thing.

Sighing, she turned around and walked towards the marionettes-themed paints hanging on the wall behind her. She watched like five paints until she found one that she liked. It was an old man making a marionette couple dance tango. Somehow, it seemed funny to her, and she smiled.

"I'm glad you like it," a voice said behind her.

Sakura turned around and her eyes widened at the person there...

* * *

Notes: DUN DUN _DUUUN_! What will happen next? :D


	15. The exboyfriends' replacements

Notes: Summer is over and school is back and I have to get up early! D: Understand that if I don't update for a while, it's because I have homework to do, okay? Please don't send ninjas to kill me. Please.

Disclaimer: Naruto is an anime of ninjas owned by a japanese dude with a great imagination, not by me.

* * *

**Chapter fifteen**

_The ex-boyfriends' replacements_

Sakura had thought the voice had been vaguely familiar, and now she discovered why.

"You are…" she started, but the red haired guy in front of her cut her off.

"Sasori." He offered his hand for her and smirked. "It's very nice to meet you."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, and then shook his hand briefly. "We already met."

"Really? Then you already knew my name?"

Sakura thought about it. "Uh, now that you mention that, I actually didn't."

"Then we didn't officially meet." His smirk widened. "You were the girl looking for her boyfriend in my, uh, _sister_'s school. But I suppose you have a name, right?"

"I do. I'm Sakura. And _you_ are the guy who jumped my school's fence _illegally_ and started hitting on me when I was looking for my boyfriend." _Ex_-boyfriend, Sakura corrected mentally, but mentioning this to a complete stranger was unnecessary.

He chuckled lowly, and Sakura noticed that he had a very deep voice, which made his laughter sound kind of sexy. "I wasn't hitting on you, Sakura. Telling a beautiful girl how beautiful she is isn't necessarily flirting."

"Yeah, it's just weird."

Sasori smiled – not smirked, smiled, like in a showing-your-perfect-white-teeth smile, which made Sakura feel glad, because the way he had smirked before reminded her of Sasuke and she didn't want to see him smirk like that again – closed his eyes and shook his head. The movement caused his red curls to bounce against his forehead, and, for a moment, he reminded her of one of those handsome guys who model clothes for fashion magazines. Sakura caught herself staring at him with a dreamy expression, but it instantly vanished when she remembered how creepy that guy actually was, despite his good looks.

"Anyways," he said, opening his eyes. "You liked my paint, right?" He pointed the paint Sakura had been staring at.

"You painted this?" she asked, incredulous, glancing at the paint.

"Yeah. That's why I'm here. I'm an independent artist showing his art off," he explained. "And I like to do marionettes-themed paints. I couldn't miss an art exposition like this. Besides, there are a lot of important people here, looking for good artists. If they like my art as much as you like it, then I might have a chance to become famous."

"You paint only because you want to be famous?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow and not believing how shallow the guy was.

He shook his head and laughed in that sexy way of his. "Oh, of course not. That's just part of it. It's just that… well, for example, if you like to sing, you want people to listen to you, right? You want the world to like your voice. And it's the same thing with me. I want the world to like my art. That's why I felt so happy when I saw you smiling at my paint. It meant you liked it."

"Well, I accept it's, like, funny, I guess." Sakura stared at the paint thoughtfully. She actually didn't know why she thought it was funny. It was just a marionette couple dancing tango. "And, yeah, you paint well, but… I don't mean to sound offensive or something, but it's just good – plainly good – but not good enough to make me want to buy it and hang it on a wall in my house. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize; I'm grateful for your sincerity." He put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at it. Since when was he allowed to touch her? She was about to tell him to take his creepy hand off her, but she realized his touch wasn't exactly unpleasant. His skin was actually very warm, so warm that she could feel it through her thin sweater, and it felt kind of good. So she kept her mouth shut.

"Besides, that only makes me even more eager to make you like my art. May I show you my other paints?"

Sakura was about to say no, but then she thought: Why not? Ino was probably very busy with her new guy, anyways. Besides, when she first met Sasori, she thought he was the typical womanizer –good looks included – and kind of creepy. But now she realized he was actually very polite and nice and friendly… and sexy. Definitely not the kind of guy a womanizer is – except for the sexy part, buy, hey, a guy can be sexy without being a jerk, right? So he wasn't that bad after all. And she was kind of enjoying his company, too.

A few minutes with him wouldn't hurt, would they?

"Okay," she finally said, smiling.

"Then follow me," he replied, smiling back, and she obeyed happily, wondering if Ino wasn't the only one who had recently found the perfect replacement for her ex-boyfriend.

* * *

"Ino!"

Ino turned around at the sound of _that_ voice calling her name. There were a lot of people around her, watching the marionettes-themed paints and sculptures and photographs, and Ino thought it would be hard to find him among so many people.

But she should've remembered that it was impossible not to see a guy like _him._ He stood out from the crowd like a red ball among white ones with his pale skin, his black, long hair, his soul-piercing dark eyes, his incredibly good-looking features, and the weird yet cute marks under his eyes.

Ino had always thought Sasuke was hot, but his older brother, Itachi, was _above_ hot.

God blessed Mrs. Uchiha for bringing them to the world.

Or well, actually, for bringing _Itachi _to the world. Sasuke should've stayed where people is before being born because of what he did to Sakura, Ino's best and beloved friend. He was a jerk who didn't deserve to be born.

So, yeah, God blessed the woman for giving birth to Itachi - not for giving birth to Sasuke.

Itachi's eyes didn't leave hers as he made his way towards her. Ino automatically turned into her sexy-mode: hands on the hips, mischievous smile, half-closed eyes and straight back. But that wouldn't be enough for Itachi, Ino realized; a guy like him probably knew thousands of sexy girls else, and Ino needed to stand out if she wanted to hook up with him and use him to forget about Sai faster. So she decided she needed to give more than the best of her best.

_I can do this_, she told herself, and the greatest part was that she knew she really could.

"Hey," she greeted when Itachi stopped right in front of her.

"Hey," Itachi replied, smirking in that sexy way of his that could make any girl faint. Luckily, Ino had pretty good self-control when facing hot guys, so she didn't lose her cool. "I'm glad you came, Ino."

"Yeah, I'm glad I came too." Ino's smile widened. "It's always good to see you, Itachi."

"Yeah, I've heard that before."

Ino laughed softly at his joke. Seriously, was this guy perfect and that nobody-is-perfect crap was just a big, fat lie, or was he just dangerously close to perfection? Ino didn't know; she just knew she was hoping she had met Itachi long before she met Sai. That guy had been just a horrible waste of time, and Itachi was everything but a waste.

"Did you come alone?" Itachi asked, and then his expression turned slightly worried. "If you did, then let me give you a ride home when the night ends, because I'd worry if I were to let you go home by yourself…"

"Oh, no," Ino said. "I didn't come alone. I came with a friend."

"Really? And where is she?" He smirked. "Don't tell me you left her alone just to be with me."

She faked a pout. "I guess I did. I left her watching some paints while I hurried to find you. Sorry. I'm a bad girl."

"It's alright, Ino. I already knew you were a bad girl, and I like it." He smirked, and the suggestive way he looked at her made her heart flutter.

Ino knew he was five years older than her, and she also knew what kind of things twenty-two-year-old guys liked to do with women, but Ino wasn't stupid; she was still a virgin, and she planned to stay like that. She was just looking for fun, and Itachi seemed to be the synonym of fun. She just wanted a few make-out sessions with him to fix her broken heart; nothing more, nothing less.

"We should go find my friend quickly, before she gets lost or something," Ino said, trying to push the nervousness she suddenly felt away. "Besides, I'm dying to introduce her to the sexy guy who invited me here." She smiled, and Itachi smiled back.

"Alright. Let's go," Itachi said, and then, the most surprising thing happened: he grabbed her hand.

Ino was stunned at first, and she froze, but then she remembered she couldn't lose her cool, not in front of him, and she forced her feet to move. As they walked – holding hands –, Ino realized she didn't even imagine she would hold hands with a sexy guy like Itachi less than a week after she lost the love of her life. That meant anything could happen now.

Anything.

* * *

Sakura couldn't help it: she gasped.

She had followed Sasori to a far wall of the museum, a wall that seemed to be pretty lonely. They had stopped in front of the last paint hanging on the lonely wall, a paint of a marionette woman sitting beside a window from which you could see a rainy, gray and lonely street that reminded Sakura of Italy. The woman was crying, holding a tissue against her cheekbone, and, she didn't know why, but Sakura instantly knew the woman was crying because her heart was broken.

"Her name is Elissabetta," Sasori explained lowly as Sakura stared at the paint with wide, sparkling eyes. "She's been waiting for her lover to come back from a trip for almost five years, crying every day, and the sky of Venetia cries too, sharing her pain. What she doesn't know is that she'll wait for many, many years more, because her lover has died in a train accident."

"Oh my God," Sakura whispered.

"And she's a lesbian."

Sakura's eyes widened again, but this time from utter shock. She turned to Sasori, frowning. "What?"

"Her lover is a woman," Sasori said casually. He looked at his paint, smiling. "So what do you think? You like this one more than the other one, don't you?"

"Wait," Sakura said. "A lesbian? Elissabetta is a lesbian? But… why?"

He shrugged. "She just got tired of men. And Manuela loves her very much – well, loved her. She died in a train accident, remember?"

Sakura nodded and looked down at the floor, kind of disturbed. It was cool that Sasori had made up a story for his paint, but this story sounded more like an adult drama/romance novel. She thought that said story would've been interesting to watch in a movie: a woman tired of men who became lesbian and waited for her lover to come back from a trip, not knowing she had died and would never come back. Sakura bet she'd need a box of tissues if she watched that movie.

And then she thought about Elissabetta getting tired of men. Sakura herself wasn't exactly tired of men, because the only man she was tired of was Sasuke. One man wasn't enough to become lesbian all of sudden. Besides, she liked men; they were sexy. There was Sasori, for example. _That_ was a man she would never get tired of.

She bowed her head lower, trying to hide her blush. It was so weird: she just met – officially met – the dude and she was already thinking about never getting tired of his sexiness. Who was the creepy now?

When she raised her head again and turned to Sasori, he was smirking at her. She blushed again, three words printed in her mind: YOU GOT CAUGHT.

"I know what you were thinking about," Sasori said, and Sakura wished the sky would open and swallow her into the nothingness.

"You do?" she asked, also wishing for some self-control to hide her blush.

"Yeah. You were considering becoming lesbian, weren't you?"

Sakura almost laughed, but she managed not to. His guess was kind of less embarrassing that the truth. And she didn't want him to know she was the creepy one, thinking about how sexy he was every five seconds.

"Uh…" was all she said. She wasn't good at lying, so she didn't say yes - she didn't practically lie. And that seemed to work for Sasori.

He sighed. "Sakura, I understand girls like you feel like abandoning everything when a guy breaks their heart, but there are a lot of men out there, and your ex-boyfriend doesn't represent the entire male population of the world. We're not all jerks; so, before you consider liking people of your same sex, think that you'll meet many more guys, better than the jerk that hurt you."

"Thank you, doctor, how much for the session?" she replied, smiling.

"It's for free," Sasori said, smiling back. They stared at each other for several moments, in which Sakura thought she would look away soon, uncomfortable, but she didn't. She actually felt good when he looked at her, and his brown eyes were pretty and she liked to look into them.

When Sasori spoke again, she blinked, like waking up from a dream. "So, what? You're not becoming lesbian, right? It would be such a waste. Any guy would die for a date with you, believe me."

"Any guy?" Sakura repeated. "Including you?"

Oh God, she didn't. Really, she really didn't. Sakura Haruno didn't flirt; that was Ino Yamanaka. Sakura Haruno couldn't have practically asked out a guy like Sasori. She couldn't.

But she had. And now Sasori was smiling at her, very amused, and she wished for the second time in the day that the sky would swallow her into the nothingness.

But the sky did nothing, and Sasori spoke again. "Are you serious?"

Oh no, now he thought she was a total loser and felt pity for the pathetic little girl failing to flirt properly she was. Sakura knew the sky would never swallow her, so she didn't waste her time and wished for the ground to swallow her into the nothingness instead.

"I guess so…" she said awkwardly.

Sasori chuckled. Sakura was sure he was going to say, "_Get lost, pathetic girl, and flirt with losers of your own level,_" but he just stared at her, as if she was the funniest thing on the world and he would never get tired of watching her.

"Um," she started to say, trying to push the horrible, big awkwardness away, but Sasori spoke before she could finish.

"Alright," he said, nodding. "Are you free tomorrow night? Give me your address and I'll pick you up. You choose the place. Oh, and you're still a high school girl, so if it makes your parents feel less uneasy by letting their daughter go out with a twenty-one-year-old guy, I can have a chat with them to show them I'm not a creepy pervert, in spite of what you used to believe." He smiled. "Is that alright for you?"

Sakura needed a few second to understand what was really happening, and when she did, her green eyes widened and she asked stupidly, "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah," Sasori responded. "But you were the one who suggested it first. I just followed your advice. So don't blame me."

Sakura cracked a nervous smile. All she could think of was, _Thanks, earth and sky, for not swallowing me into the nothingness, because now I have a date with a hot guy_.

"Okay," she finally said. "Tomorrow night is fine."

* * *

Ino felt so exasperated and embarrassed. She was dragging Itachi around and probably making him feel bored and tired – totally not good if she wanted to hook up with him! – because pretty, little Sakura wasn't anywhere to be found.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, stopping in front of a creepy human-sized sculpture of an old man playing with marionettes while sitting on a bench who looked too real for his own good. "She has pink hair. Freaking _pink_ hair! And I can't find her? Come _on_!"

"Ino, sweetie," Itachi said softly, pushing a blond lock behind her ear delicately. "Calm down. She's got to be here, somewhere. I don't think she's gone home."

Ino did. If she had been in Sakura's position, that's what she would've done: got tired of waiting for her to be done with her new guy and left her alone. Evil, but possible. And it didn't matter that Sakura was her best friend; everyone had their bitchy moments. But this bitchy moment of her could cost Ino something big, because now she was alone with an older guy who would probably offer to take her home and, who knows, in spite of his good looks, Itachi could be a crazy sociopath who would take her to his place and then do horrible things to her before killing her.

Ino shook her head. No, she had to trust Sakura; she couldn't have left her alone. And she had to trust Itachi, too. He couldn't be a sociopath… right?

"Look: pink hair," Itachi suddenly said, pointing something behind her.

Ino turned around and was relieved to see Sakura walking towards them with a smile on her face. The relief turned into anger as soon as Sakura stopped in front of her and said, "Hey."

"Where the hell where you?" Ino yelled. She knew it made people stare, but when she was mad, she didn't care about yelling and making a fool of herself.

Sakura rolled her eyes calmly. "Chill out, Ino. I was with a friend, and he was showing me his paints."

"But I looked for you everywhere!"

"We were at that wall." Sakura pointed behind her, at a lonely wall with five or six paints hanging on it. "I bet you didn't look for me there, huh?"

"Whatever." Ino frowned at her best friend. "Since when do you have a friend who makes marionettes-themed paints?

Sakura just shrugged, avoiding the question mysteriously. She glanced behind Ino and smiled at Itachi. "Hi, I'm Sakura." Then her smile suddenly disappeared and her eyes widened slightly. Ino forgot about her anger with this. She knew why Sakura had tensed so suddenly: she had recognized Itachi as Sasuke's brother.

"Yeah, I know," Itachi said, and even though Ino was busy looking at Sakura with worry, she could hear he was smiling back. "Actually, I know it since you, Naruto and my little brother were kids and used to play around all the afternoons after school in my backyard. Do you remember me, Sakura?"

"Of course I do, Itachi," Sakura said, doing her best to smile again. "You're just… so different and, I don't know, _tall_." She laughed nervously. "And even if I didn't know you since I was a kid, I would recognize you because… you're so similar to your brother!"

Itachi chuckled. "C'mon, Sakura, please don't insult me."

Sakura laughed again, but the lack of humor in her eyes was so clear it hurt. Ino tried to think of something to change the subject desperately. "Um, this exposition is kind of boring," she said, trying to sound as if nothing was happening, but failing. It was funny how she didn't lose her cool with hot guys, but she did lose it when her friend was feeling awkward.

She turned to Itachi and he smiled at her. "Yeah, it's boring me too." He looked at Sakura, and then back at her. "How did you guys get here? Do you have a car?"

"No, we took a taxi," Sakura replied, and Ino was glad she sounded glad of changing the subject. "We have seventeen years old, but our evil parents don't trust us and won't let us get a license and a car until we finish high school."

"Do you guys want me to take you home?" Itachi asked.

"Actually, I'm hungry," Ino said, and then looked at Sakura. "Why don't we go to Sakura's favorite place? That Italian restaurant, where they make that weird pizza… how is it called?"

"It's a weird name," Sakura said. "I just remember the address."

"Okay, then let's go there," Itachi agreed.

They exited the museum and got into Itachi's convertible (Ino liked him a tiny bit more for having a car as cool as that, but don't tell anyone). As they headed to the restaurant, Ino did more than the best of her best, not to make Itachi like her more, but to make Sakura feel less uncomfortable for being hanging around with her ex-boyfriend's brother.

* * *

Notes: Aww, c'mon, you know what to do now! :3


	16. Action!

Notes: OMG I'm so freaking happy there are people out there that like my story! :DDD Am I really that awesome? D: Anyways, thanks for feeding my already-quite-huge ego! :3 I appreciate it SO MUCH! Also, I LOVE IT when you review, guys, it doesn't matter if it's to correct my grammar or to say you'll send Voldemort and Orochimaru and who knows who else to kill me if I don't keep writing and SOON! D: So KEEP REVIEWING, YOU AWESOME BITCHES! :3

Disclaimer: I wish I could own Naruto (and Code Geass, and Death Note, and Evangelion D:) but I don't u.u

* * *

**Chapter sixteen**

_Action!_

The sky had turned black over the city of Konoha. It looked like an enormous dark sheet splattered with tiny white dots covering the world. A really beautiful night, indeed, but Itachi Uchiha didn't notice. He was too busy driving his car, heading back to the museum, and thinking about how annoying having friends was, especially if your friends were delusional red-haired artists who attended every single art exposition to expose their not-good-enough-to-become-famous paintings.

Yeah, Sasori was such a pain in the butt. First, he made Itachi drive him to that stupid art exposition. Then, he made him stay until the exposition finished so he could drive him home. Was that a good friend? Itachi thought it wasn't, and also started to reconsider finding other friends, friends who wouldn't make him stay in a stupid and boring marionettes-themed exposition just because they needed him.

He should head back to his house and leave Sasori alone. That guy sure had money to pay a taxi, right? His family was rich; he always had money in his wallet even if he didn't have a job. Besides, it would serve him right. He would start to think it twice before making Itachi his freaking personal driver.

Itachi sighed as he stopped at a red light. No, he couldn't leave Sasori alone, no matter how much he hated him right now. What if Sasori had forgotten his wallet or something? He'd need to walk home, carrying his heavy paintings. And what if some dudes tried to steal his paintings? What if the dudes were carrying a knife or a gun? Sasori would rather be shot or staved before having his "art" stolen.

He could die. And Itachi didn't want to feel guilty after that. He had to drive him home tonight. But it was _so_ going to be the last time.

When he got to the museum, Sasori was waiting for him at the museum's entrance. As Itachi parked his car in front of it, he realized the museum was closed and deserted. The only lights on were the ones illuminating the museum's outsides.

Sasori opened the door and put his paintings on the back seat. He then sat on the passenger's seat and slammed the door closed.

"You're late," he said sharply, glaring at the driver.

Itachi shrugged, unaffected. "I was busy." He pulled the car into the driveway and headed to Sasori's apartment.

Inside, he couldn't believe it. After all he was doing for him, he dared to act like this? He regretted not making a U turn and going back to his house, leaving Sasori alone in the middle of the night so he could be killed by some random thieves.

"Busy with what?" Sasori barked. "Or, actually, busy with _whom_?"

"C'mon, Sasori," Itachi said, rolling his dark eyes. "Do you really think I'm that much of a womanizer?"

Sasori didn't answer.

"Why thank you, you flatter me."

"Answer my question, Itachi," Sasori said, clearly annoyed. Itachi suddenly thought that Sasori's attitude shouldn't have surprised him; he had been waiting for him for probably an hour, and he wasn't very patient. But that still didn't give him the right to be so offensive towards him, not after all that he'd done for him. However, as the really nice guy he was, Itachi didn't bother to tell that to him.

"I'll be honest with you. I actually invited a friend to this art exposition, because, you know, I didn't want to get too bored as I waited for you. She brought a friend, and then the three of us got hungry and went to this cool Italian restaurant and ate pizza. After that, I took them home."

Sasori snorted. "Yeah, right. I know you, dude, and I know you didn't just _eat dinner_ with them."

"Oh, c'mon, they're seventeen!" Itachi exclaimed. "I'm not a pedophile."

"Seven-what?" Sasori asked, utterly shocked.

"Seventeen. And I didn't even touch them. It was just an innocent evening at an Italian restaurant, trust me."

Sasori just rolled his eyes. They stayed quiet for a moment, until Sasori suddenly asked: "Were they hot?"

"I guess one of them is okay, the one I invited," Itachi replied, shrugging. "But I want nothing serious with her; just some fun and then it's over. And her friend is not bad, but I already knew her. I know her since she was a kid, so she's more like a little sister to me, you know?"

Sasori nodded.

"I bet you wish I had taken you with me, huh?" Itachi suddenly said, smirking. "So you could meet the girls and judge them by yourself."

"I don't think so," Sasori replied. "I actually did meet someone today." From the corner of his eye, Itachi saw him smiling. "And I think she's the only one I've ever wanted to meet."

Itachi actually took his eyes off the road to look at him with disbelief. "You are kidding, right?"

Sasori shook his head. "I'm not. I think she's the One, dude."

Itachi thought he had never heard something cornier, and he felt like puking, but instead he let his friend continue.

"She's seventeen, just like the girls you left with, and yeah, she's young, but I'm young too – only twenty one – and four years of difference are nothing, right?"

She was seventeen too? "How does this girl look like?" Itachi asked.

"Well, she's easy to recognize. She has pink hair, and bright green eyes and… well, she's pretty. Really pretty."

Itachi glanced at Sasori and saw a stupid, dreamy expression on his face. He looked back at the road and frowned slightly. Pink hair and green eyes? Sasori was obviously talking about Sakura. Itachi wondered if he should tell him he knew her… and decided not to mention it. What was the point, anyways?

"So your One has finally come, huh?" he said instead, smirking.

Sasori sighed. "Yeah, I hope so. I've been looking for her for too long; it was time for her to appear. And, you know, Itachi? You should start looking for you One too. You're twenty two already. Don't you think you should settle down and find a formal girlfriend?"

"Let's not talk about me," Itachi replied dryly.

"Hey, but really, you seriously need to-"

"We're here," Itachi interrupted, parking the car in front of the blue building Sasori lived in.

Sasori looked at his home, then back at Itachi. He sighed, thanked Itachi for the drive, took his paintings and got out of the car. Itachi watched him leave, a small smile appearing on his face.

Sasori and Sakura, huh? He would've never expected it.

* * *

"Ten pm. Freaking _ten pm_! And you think it's too early to go home?"

A girl who looked exactly like TenTen rolled her eyes. "My God, what are you? Eighty years old?" she replied. "Of course it's early! Night's just starting, _baby_!"

TenTen – the real one – who was now nothing but an invisible spirit out of her body, stared at her clone, which was actually a very bitchy fairy named Kim inside of her body, with shock. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it. She opened it again, and then closed it again. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

"God, if I were your mother, I'd be so stressed out…" she murmured.

"I don't have a mother," Kim said bluntly.

"You sure don't," Temari said. She was feeling as exasperated as her invisible friend. Not only because the fairy's attitude was a pain in the ass, but because she was tired and hungry and it was late and she wanted to go home. She didn't feel like dealing with Kim right now.

"Okay, let's do something," Temari continued, putting her hands on her hips. "Kim, just give TenTen her body back here and now and then go home or wherever you are when you're not here. After that, I'll take TenTen home and then go to my own house and have a nice, relaxing bath before getting into bed and finally falling asleep. Do we all agree with that?"

"Yeah," Kim and TenTen mumbled in unison.

"Okay," Temari said. "The hurry up, I'm really eager to get to the me-getting-into-bed part."

Kim sighed, looking clearly annoyed she had to give TenTen her body back. She turned around, walked, and stopped until she was standing two meters away from TenTen's spirit – which only she could see. She turned around to face them, closed her eyes and put her palms against each other.

A second later, Temari jumped at the sound of Kim's voice right beside her, where she had thought TenTen's spirit was standing. "Phew, I feel exhausted," the fairy said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

Temari stared at Kim, and then turned to TenTen. The brunette was staring at her hands as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. "Seriously, this so awesome," TenTen said with an amazed look on her face. "I'll never again say magic is lame."

"You better not," Kim replied, looking offended. "Anyways, I'll be leaving now. Tell Sakura she's next."

"I don't think we'll need to," Temari said. "She knows she's the only one who hasn't paid you."

"Oh, that's true; she's the last one…" Kim said with wide eyes. She looked as if she had forgotten it. "I can't believe it… It's over. You'll never see me again, and I'll never see you again… And there's only one more day for me to live as a human!"

"Hey, Kim," Temari said softly, seeing the fairy's sad expression. "But you'll have many more silly girls who had made a love spell to annoy, right?"

"Yeah, but… you guys have been special…"

Temari couldn't believe it. Was that what Kim thought about them? She turned to TenTen, giving her an oh-my-God-can-you-believe-it look, which she returned.

"Why?" TenTen asked the sad-looking fairy.

"Well, because you've been the only humans who know that I borrow human bodies to feel human again. You know about my past," Kim replied.

TenTen and Temari looked at each other again. Temari opened her mouth to say something to Kim, but the fairy interrupted her. "Anyways, I'll be leaving now." She sighed and looked at the two girls with half-closed eyelids. "Thanks for, you know, paying me."

Temari and TenTen could do nothing but smile at her. Then Kim turned around and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

* * *

The next day in the morning, Sakura was the one who entered the classroom looking like the happiest girl in the world while Ino was the one who freaked out.

"What is going on?" Ino asked her best friend as she sat beside her.

"What? Can't I be happy for no reason?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "That's my line. Seriously, Sakura, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing important," Sakura said, shrugging, "just that I have a date with the hottest guy on Earth. But really, it's nothing important."

Ino's blue eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Sakura smiled widely and turned to her friend. "Yes!" she said excitedly. "And – oh my God, Ino, he's SO _cool_!" They squealed together, looking like a pair of teenage girls who just got an autograph from their greatest idol.

"Oh, my gosh!" Ino exclaimed. "How – when – _who_!" Her face was getting so red from excitement Sakura started to worry.

"Calm down, Ino-pig!" Sakura said.

"But – but you have to tell me _everything_!" the blonde exclaimed. "I mean, how did this happen? Wasn't I the one who met a hot guy to replace her ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah, you are, but I am, too," Sakura replied. "So yeah, we're both lucky."

"This is _so _COOL! It's like – like _best-friends' luck_!"

Sakura giggled. "I know! But anyways, wanna know how I met this guy?"

Ino nodded excitedly and listened to her friend attentively. Sakura told her everything: about the first time she met Sasori, about how he seemed to be a jerk but was actually really nice, about how they officially met, about the painting of Elissabetta…

"Wait, a lesbian?" Ino repeated, frowning.

"I know, I freaked out when he told me that too," Sakura said, smiling at the memory of it. "But it's a beautiful story for a painting, don't you think? The woman getting tired of men and becoming a lesbian, and then crying every day because her girlfriend doesn't back from her trip, and then the sky cries with her…" She sighed. "Ah, it's so romantic. _He_ is so romantic."

"It seems like it. What was his name again?"

"Sasori," Sakura said. "Anyways, as I was saying, I suddenly started to think what it would be like to become a lesbian just because I got tired of men. But then I thought that I'd never get tired of men because, well, some of them are really sexy. I used Sasori as an example, and thinking about his sexiness made me blush and he noticed it... And he told me that I shouldn't become a lesbian because any guy would die to date me. It was all a misunderstood, but I pretended he was right, and asked him if any guy would date me, including him. So, um... I think I kind of flirted with him."

"Oh God, you got to be kidding," Ino said, laughing. "Sakura Haruno flirted with a hot guy? Yeah, right, and pigs fly!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. When Ino was done laughing, she said, "Of course pigs fly, Ino. If we get you into an airplane, there'll be a pig flying, right?"

Ino made a face. "Whatever. What happened then?"

Sakura sighed. "Well, he suddenly smiled and asked if tonight was okay with me. He also said he'd talk to my parents if they weren't comfortable letting their daughter go to a date with a guy older than her. I said yes and, well… I have a date tonight!"

"And I'm so happy for you!" Ino said, hugging her. "For both of us. We're moving on pretty quickly, huh?"

"I guess so," Sakura said, hugging her best friend back. She had her eyes closed, and when she opened them, the first thing she saw was Sasuke sitting a couple desks away from them. She thought for a moment that he had been watching her, but either she was imagining stuff or he had looked away very quickly, because he now seemed as if he didn't even know she was there.

She looked at him for one more moment, feeling her stomach turn and her heart beat faster at the sight of him, and then leaned back and smiled at Ino. Ino smiled back and wished her luck for her date.

"Thanks," Sakura said, and she thought she was indeed going to need it. Everyone needed some luck to replace the love of their lives.

* * *

She had seen him. Oh God, she had seen him staring at her. She knew he had heard. And she probably thought he was pathetic and a stalker and a creep.

Sasuke shook his head. Maybe he was being paranoid. He knew Sakura well; he knew she was kind of absent-minded. Maybe she did see him staring at her, but he had turned away as fast as he could, so she probably thought she had been imagining stuff, right? Yeah, that was possible.

He calmed down. She didn't see him staring at her; she didn't know he had listened to almost everything she had told to Ino. It was all right.

No, it wasn't all right. Sakura had a date, with a twenty-one-year-old dude. She was moving on – forgetting about him. She didn't love him anymore.

Sasuke folded his arms on the desk and buried his face between them, thinking how much his life sucked, just as the bell rang and the class started.

* * *

Itachi had been taking a nap on the couch when he heard the door slam. He opened his eyes and got up slowly, thinking that it was probably a burglar ready to kill him. _Bring it on_, he thought. His karate classes hadn't been a waste, and he was a black belt: he knew how to defend himself. (Unless the burglar had a weapon; in that situation, Itachi was helpless.)

But it wasn't a burglar. It was just his younger brother, Sasuke, coming back from school, looking so angry and depressed Itachi almost felt sympathy – almost. But what Itachi did feel was disappointment. He had hoped it would be a burglar, because he wanted to have some action to his boring life.

Sasuke was heading upstairs. Itachi was surprised. His brother used to go to the kitchen and eat something before locking himself in his bedroom. Something was wrong today.

"Sasuke," Itachi called him, and Sasuke stopped and looked at his brother emotionlessly. "Come here, please."

Sasuke obeyed, which was something even weirder. Since when did Sasuke do what his older brother said without questioning him?

"What?" the younger Uchiha asked dryly when he was standing in front of his brother.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Itachi asked.

"I'm not hungry."

"Not even thirsty?"

"No."

"Why did you slam the door?"

"Because I wanted to."

"Are you going to you bedroom?"

"Yes."

"And why are you angry?"

"Because my girlfriend-"

_Dammit, he caught himself_, Itachi thought as his brother's eyes widened. Sasuke always fell for that old trick of making someone pointless questions and suddenly making a very important one without them noticing. He always answered it fully, but now he interrupted himself before spitting it all out. Perhaps he was learning.

"You girlfriend, huh?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow and looking clearly amused. "What did she do, Sasuke? She broke up with you? She cheated on you? She didn't want to have sex with you?"

"God, no!" Sasuke exclaimed. "It's nothing, Itachi. Leave me alone."

"So it is the sex thing, huh?" Itachi nodded. "I knew it. Listen, little brother, you have to give her time. Also, be very romantic and give her expensive gifts. That way she'll say yes. You just have to be constant and patient and-"

"Dammit, shut up, that's not it!" Sasuke interrupted. "She just… well, we broke up a few days ago and she's already dating another guy."

"Really?" Itachi didn't think he could be any more amused. "Who's this girl, Sasuke?"

"It's Sakura," he replied, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, I remember her!" Itachi exclaimed, and he actually smiled. Now it all made sense! Sasuke's girlfriend was Sakura, and Sakura's new boyfriend was Sasori. How amusing!

"Yeah. Well, that's why I'm angry. Can I leave now?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure, sure," Itachi said. His brother turned around and ran upstairs, slamming his bedroom's door.

Itachi smirked and sat down on the couch. He had finally found the action he wanted in his life.

* * *

Notes: I didn't like the ending. ): Got any reviews for meeeeeee? :D


	17. Waiting

Disclaimer: Not mine D:

* * *

**_Chapter seventeen_**

_Waiting_

Hinata slammed the door of her hotel room closed with her foot. She walked towards the bed, making a face at the heavy weight she was carrying. With a long sigh, she put her several shopping bags on the bed. She stared at them for a long thoughtful moment, wondering why she had bought stuff she was probably not going to use. For example, that fifty-hundred-dollars purse: it was the cutest accessory she had ever seen, but she would never dare to go out with it – unless it was for an elegant event, but she didn't like to go to elegant events – so what was the point?

What had she been thinking?

She walked towards the window and raised the blinds. New York's sky was turning orange, and already she could see the faint shape of the moon at the distance. Some buildings had already turned on their lights, and the city was beginning to get that magical look it had during the night. It was probably the only thing Hinata would miss in the future about New York: how beautiful the city looked at night, with its colorful lights and its mysterious shadows.

She stared at the city below her for one more moment, and then turned around and frowned at the shopping bags lying on the king-sized bed. She remembered some of the clothes and accessories she had bought with the credit card her father had given her: the beautiful blue dress, prefect for a romantic evening; the cute scarf that matched those other red boots; the designer jeans that were ripped over the knees; the black-leathered jacket that made her look like a rock star.

Hinata sighed, suddenly wondering what her father's reaction would be when he found out about how much she spent, and sat down on the couch beside her, the one she had been laying on when she had last talked to Naruto. The one she had been laying on when Naruto had told her he loved her.

And remember that made her feel like crying. It reminded her how desperate she was to see him, to hug him, to kiss him and to thank him for feeling the same way she felt about him.

But no, she couldn't cry. Not now that she was in serious trouble and had to think of a way to get out of it.

Oh yeah, Hinata was in trouble. She had done something very bad – and on purpose. It was probably the first time she had done something to piss someone off on purpose. Not even when she was a kid she had made such actions. She had always been the good girl, the girl with the perfect grades and the perfect politeness, the girl any parent would've died to have.

Maybe that was the reason why she had decided to be a rebel for the first time ever. Maybe she was tired of being the good girl, the girl any parent would be proud of – well, any parent except her father. Her father was never proud of her, or at least he never showed it. No matter how perfect her grades were, or how nice other people would tell him she was, her dad would never smile at her and say, "I'm very proud of you," or even, "Good job, Hinata." He was too busy with the two most important things in his life: his fiancée and his job.

And maybe that was the second reason: maybe she was tired of her father never showing her love or even admiration. And maybe that was also the reason why she always tried so hard to be good: to someday have her father telling her how proud of her he was.

But Hinata had finally given up trying, because it was useless. She had given up trying hard to be the perfect daughter. She wanted to be herself and to show the people she wasn't a saint and to… to…

To piss her dad off. That was what she wanted and what she had been thinking when she had spent more than three thousand dollars in stuff she wasn't going to use. And she wanted to piss him off because she thought that maybe that way her dad would take a moment of his precious time to pay attention to his older daughter.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Hinata stood up from the couch and walked towards it. She answered at the third ring. "_Hello_?" she said in English, as she was lately used to.

"_Hinata, it's me,_" a female Japanese voice said through the phone. Hinata recognized it instantly, even though she didn't remember the last time she had heard it.

"Mom?" she asked, her eyes widening, even though she was sure it couldn't be someone else.

"_Yes, daughter. How are you?_"

Hinata gulped, suddenly nervous and really, really confused. Many questions ran though her mind during the short pause she made. _Why is she calling? How did she found out I am here, in America? Did she call because she suddenly started caring about me? Or does she only want something from me? In that case, what would she want from me?_

"I'm fine, mom," she managed to say, trying to sound as dry as her mother always was towards her. "Thanks for asking. How are you?"

"_I'm fine, too,_" her mom replied. "_But I need to go straight to the point, daughter. I need to know if it's true that you're not happy where you are and if your father is forcing you to stay there_."

Hinata was so shocked, that for a moment she couldn't speak. "What?" she finally said, sounding utterly confused. "Wait, how did you-?"

"_Just answer me, Hinata_," her mother interrupted.

"Yes," Hinata said without hesitation, "it's all true. I'm not happy here in America and my dad is actually forcing me to stay. I want to go back to Japan, back to my friends, but he won't let me unless I pretend to like someone I kind of hate."

"_Are you talking about his fiancée? That American woman?_"

She nodded, even though her mom couldn't see her. "Yes, mom. You have to know it's nothing personal, like being jealous or afraid of having someone replacing you. I just don't like that woman. I can see through her façade, and I know she doesn't love my father; she just wants his money. And I utterly dislike her. But my dad won't take my opinion. He wants me to change my mind because I seem to make his fiancée uncomfortable with my attitude, and he thinks the only way to do that is forcing me to spend time with her, here in New York. And I'm having the worst time ever." She was getting angrier and angrier as she talked about that woman, but she tried to keep her voice neutral.

"_I see_," her mom muttered after a pause. "_But tell me, why did he take only you and not your young sister?"_

"Hanabi dislikes her too, mom," Hinata replied. "But she tries to pretend she doesn't, and my dad thinks she's okay. I know that's exactly what I should do too, but I hate to be a hypocrite. Hanabi is being very reasonable, but I really cannot stand it. I want my dad to realize he's making a huge mistake… but he would never listen to me."

Her mom sighed. "_Okay, Hinata. I understand and believe you. You'll be coming back to Japan tomorrow. I'm already buying the ticket_."

Hinata's eyes widened. "What? Wait, what are you saying? Can you do that? Does my dad know?"

"_He will when your plane has taken off. And yes, I can do that. Though I'm divorced to your father, I'm still your mother, and I want you to come back to Japan. Your dad can't keep doing this to you anymore. Besides, you're not going to school, are you?_"

"No, I'm not," Hinata replied.

"_Exactly, and that's not okay. So you're coming back tomorrow to keep going to school. It's the best for you and your dad and his lawyers won't be able to do something about it_."

They stayed quiet for a moment. Hinata was gripping the phone tightly against her ear as she listened to the clicking noises her mom made as she bought her plane ticket through internet. Finally, Hinata said, "Thank you, mom."

"_I just want the best for you, Hinata, even when I'm not going to be there with you,_" she replied lowly, suddenly not sounding as dry as ever.

"Would you tell me something?" Hinata asked her. "How did you find out about this? Who told you?"

"_Your sister gave my phone number to a young man who claims to be in love with you. He called me and told me what was going on. I got really pissed at what your father is doing to you, so I decided to act. Besides, I was moved by how much he misses you, daughter_."

Hinata bit her lip as tears started to run down her cheeks. She sat on the edge of her bed and started sobbing quietly. _Thank you, Naruto_, she thought, realizing that it was impossible to love him more than she already did.

* * *

Sasori parked the car in front of Sakura's house. Sakura, sitting on the co-driver seat, glanced over Sasori's head at her house and saw a movement in one of the windows. She sighed deeply. Her parents were probably watching them right now, so she would have to be discreet and not make out with Sasori – no matter how much she wanted to – here, in his car, at the end of their date. She couldn't risk her jealous father witnessing such scene.

She turned to Sasori, and the smile he gave her made her feel better. When she looked into those hazel eyes, she knew he wouldn't dare to give her more than a peck on the lips, not because he probably knew her parents were (or expected them to be) watching, but because that was just the kind of guy he was. She knew that in spite of his sexy half bad-boy, half hippie-artist look, Sasori was a gentleman.

"Thank you for tonight," she said, smiling. "I had a really good time."

"I am the one supposed to be grateful, Sakura," he replied. "It was an honor to spend an evening with you."

She giggled at his cheesiness, though she wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "You're welcome, then. I just hope we can do it again sometime soon."

"I hope so too." He smirked sexily and got out of the car. Sakura was about to do the same, but then she remembered she was supposed to wait for her date to open the door for her, as the lady she was. Besides, it was the kind of thing she already knew to expect from Sasori.

And she was right. He opened the door for her, bowing respectfully at her, and she giggled again as she got out of the car as graciously as she could, suddenly feeling nervous. She knew what part was next. He was going to walk her to the door and right after the good-night part, they were going to kiss. It was going to be a small, quick kiss, but it was still going to be a kiss and their very first one, and that made her stomach turn into a knot of anxiety.

The walk from the car to the door seemed to last an eternity. When they finally stopped in front of the door, they stood face to face and only a step away from each other, close enough for Sakura to feel his body heat and to smell his fresh cologne.

"Well, I guess this is the end of our date," Sasori said, and Sakura noticed he was as nervous as her… and that he looked even cuter when he was nervous.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "It seems like it."

And then, just like that, the nervousness disappeared, because Sasori took her face in his hands and leaned closer. Sakura closed her eyes and put her hands on his elbows, readying herself. When their lips finally met, Sakura's stomach knot disappeared and was replaced by thousands of butterflies.

As their lips were connected, Sakura couldn't help but compare his lips to the last ones she had kissed. _Sasuke's were softer, and way full, _she thought_. Also, his kisses weren't so stiff; they were gentle, but also very passionate…_

_God, I miss to kiss him._

She broke the kiss abruptly. "Sorry," she murmured, bowing her head to not look at him. She pulled the key out of her purse and opened the door as she felt Sasori's heavy and confused stare on her. She looked up at him only when she was at the other side of the door. "I… I'll see you later," she said nervously. "Good night, Sasori." And then, she closed the door.

She leaned her back against the door and sighed deeply. What the hell had that been? Did she really wish she was kissing Sasuke, her stupid ex-boyfriend, instead of her sweet, cool and sexy possible-new-boyfriend?

"I can't believe it," she muttered, covering her face with her hands and wondering if there was something wrong with her brain.

* * *

The next day in school, Temari was sitting on the grass and under the shade of a tree. It was lunch time, and she was waiting for her best friends to arrive. They usually ate lunch at the cafeteria, but today Temari had told them to meet her where she was waiting right now. Luckily, they didn't question her and just accepted, because if they had asked why she wanted to change their lunch spot so suddenly, she would've had to say those seven ugly, scary words: _I have something important to tell you_.

She sighed deeply. She hadn't needed to say those seven words yet, but in a few moments, when her three friends were there, she would have to finally say them. She didn't want to (they sounded so dramatic!) but she couldn't think of another way to start her confession.

_I want to wait,_ she thought, _I don't want to tell them so soon_. But it wasn't that soon; it was actually late, because she had decided to wait too many times. She always told herself she'd do it, but she never did it because she never thought it was the "right moment." But if she continued like this, it would never be the right moment. So she had to _make _her right moment. And she was making it now.

"Hey, babe. Why so lonely?" TenTen teased as she approached Temari. She grinned at her as she sat, crossed-legged, beside her.

"I'm just waiting for you guys. You know? It sucks that I'm a year older than you and two older than the others, because I don't have any class with you girls," Temari said.

"I know, remember it's the same with me. I have other friends of my grade, of course, but if all of us were together it would totally rock." TenTen opened the plastic bag she had been holding and took out a red apple. She took a bite of it and asked, full-mouthed, "So why did you want to lunch here?"

Temari gulped nervously. "Uh, I'll tell you when the others arrive."

TenTen gave her a suspicious look, but whatever she planned to say, was interrupted by Ino, who was walking towards them as she exclaimed, "God, I hate my life!"

"Hi there, too," Temari said as Ino sat in front of her.

"What's happened, Ino?" TenTen asked, frowning.

"I just texted my soon-to-be-boyfriend asking him when we're going to have a real date," Ino replied, "and he told me he was busy, so he wasn't sure he would have time for it. That means he doesn't care about me! He doesn't want to see me!" She then took a bite of her granola bar and munched angrily.

TenTen rolled her brown eyes. "You're so dramatic. Chill out! Maybe he really is busy. Don't be so pushy. You barely know each other, anyways."

"Oh, shut up, you have no idea what I'm going through," Ino said, glaring. "None of you, actually. You guys are perfectly happy with your boyfriends, and you have nothing to mourn about. I, on the other side, am trying to get over the love of my life, but the guy I'm trying to replace him with doesn't seem to be so interested. Do you know what that means? That I'll have to get another replacement! And sexy, close-to-perfection replacements like Itachi are _very_ hard to find, you know?"

Temari sighed as she raised an eyebrow at Ino. Really, the girl was shallow. Or well, at least sometimes. She was a good friend, but that kind of things she sometimes did were unbelievable. Like that thing she was doing with Sasuke's hot, older brother now. First of all, what if the guy was really into her? She was going to break his heart, because she just wanted him to forget about Sai. And second, calling him a "replacement" was not very nice.

Temari wanted to explain this to Ino, to tell her she wasn't doing the right thing, but she knew arguing with Ino, someone who hated to be corrected, was impossible. It wasn't hard to win, but the girl always ended up crying or getting mad at you, which made you end up apologizing. And Temari didn't feel like arguing with Ino, anyways, because she was too stressed out about what she was going to tell her friends when Sakura arrived.

And right then, Sakura arrived, as if Temari had invoked her with the mind. She looked sad, and was walking slowly and heavily, as if she was very tired, and Temari frowned at her, thinking: _Ah hell, now what?_

Sakura sat down beside Ino, who forgot about her frustration with Itachi and looked at her with wide, worry-filled eyes. "Sakura, what happened?" she asked. "Don't tell us that stupid Sasuke did something to you, because I'm going to-"

"Ino, it's nothing," Sakura interrupted. "I mean, it is something, but nothing you can take care of."

"Is it about the guy you met on Tuesday?" TenTen asked. "The one you were so happy about?"

"That reminds me!" Temari exclaimed as if she had had a great idea. "How was your date with him yesterday?"

"That's exactly why I'm like this," Sakura said. "Something awful happened at the end of the date – in which, by the way, I had a really good time."

"If it the date was okay, then what went wrong?" Ino asked.

"Don't tell us that he tried to take advantage of you, like by trying to grope you or something like that," TenTen said angrily.

"No, no," Sakura shook her head, "not at all. Sasori is a gentleman. But I'm the one who ruined it all. Not the date, but this whole illusion about having someone who could make me get over Sasuke."

"Why?" Temari asked.

"Because, when we kissed goodbye, I thought about Sasuke," Sakura replied, bowing her head. "Instead of thinking about Sasori's lips against mine, I wished I was kissing Sasuke instead. Because... I miss him." Her pretty green eyes started to look teary, and Temari gave her pitiful look as Ino gently rubbed Sakura's back.

"Hey, Saks," TenTen said softly, "don't worry. It's only been a few days since you guys broke up, so it's totally normal. It's impossible to fall out of love so quickly, so don't lose hope. You just need some more time for your heart to heal."

"That's right, I need some more time," Sakura said, sniffing, and looking up at TenTen. "That's exactly what I'm going to tell him. I'll be honest and explain him about Sasuke. That's the best thing I can do."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ino asked unsurely.

"Yeah, I am. He'll understand. And if he really likes me, then he'll wait and come back when I'm ready, right?"

Temari smiled at her friend. "Right. If he's worth it, he will wait."

Sakura smiled back and sniffed. "Still, it sucks I'm still in love with my ex, you know?"

"I understand you," Ino sighed. "I'm in the exact same situation. I got to accept it: I'm still not over Sai. As strong as I may appear, I still cry when I think a lot about him. And I feel _so_ pathetic."

"_We_ are pathetic, my friend," Sakura said, putting an arm around the blonde.

"God, this is so depressing I am getting sad," TenTen said, pouting.

"Ditto," Temari lied. She was getting sad, yeah, but not because she was sad for her friend's heart-breaking situations, but because she had realized she wasn't able to make the "right moment" she had wanted. She couldn't make them sadder than they already were right now, could she? It would be too cruel.

So she was going to have to wait some more.


	18. Cheesiness

Notes: Holy_ shit_, **eighteen** chapters? Jeesh, I need a life...

Disclaimer: I may own your soul, but I don't own Naruto, dammit!

* * *

**_Chapter eighteen_**

_ Cheesiness_

Ino was grumpy during the rest of the day, and when classes finally ended, she was relieved she could finally go home and take a relaxing bath to forget about her problems. She still couldn't believe Itachi had told her he was too busy to be with her. Was he out of his mind? He should be ashamed, Ino thought. Any guy would kill to be with me, and Itachi is too busy for that?

How could he be so busy, anyways? For as long as Ino remembered, he had never told her about his job – if he had any, and Ino suspected he didn't. She knew Sasuke's parents were rich, so Itachi was probably too spoiled by his daddy to have a job. And he was almost twenty four years old, so he definitely didn't go to school, not even to the university. He should've finished his career like a year ago, right? Unless he was studying a long career… but Ino didn't think so; Itachi was too cool to be a nerd.

So what kept him so freaking busy?

Ino sighed, annoyed, but then something caught her eye and made her heart skip a beat. She spotted Itachi leaning against his black convertible, which was parked in front of the school, wearing black jeans and a tight white shirt that made his yummy muscles easy to appreciate. He was wearing sunglasses, and when he saw Ino, he took them off and smirked at her. That smirk made Ino's heart flutter against her chest, and she ran towards him without a second thought.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Of course I'm here, gorgeous," he replied, running his fingers through her long hair. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You said you were busy," Ino said, frowning.

"I am busy. But I always find time for my girl." He smirked again, and Ino giggled, suddenly feeling so happy she could give a glass of her happiness to every person in the world and still have some happiness for her own.

They were looking into each other's eyes like complete in-love morons, ignoring the stares several girls passing by gave them (jealousy for Ino, and lust for Itachi), but Itachi suddenly looked away and stopped smirking, as if he had seen something from the corner of his eye that alarmed him.

Ino couldn't help it: she followed her sexy soon-to-be-boyfriend's gaze. And she realized he was staring at Sakura, who was a few meters away from them. At first she jealously thought: _What the hell, why is he looking at her?_ But then she realized there was something unusual about her best friend: she was talking to a delivery guy that was holding a huge bouquet of red roses, and she was looking really shocked and confused.

"Uh, Itachi, would you excuse me?" Ino asked him, taking a couple steps back. "Sakura seems to be in trouble, and she's pretty stressed out about still loving her ex and stuff, so she definitely needs my help now."

"Of course, babe, go," Itachi replied.

Ino smiled at him, and then turned around and walked towards her best friend. "What's going on?" she asked her as she was standing beside her.

"I don't know," Sakura replied. "This guy says these roses are for me, but I didn't order them."

"Miss," the delivery guy said, sounding kind of exasperated. "These roses are a gift from someone else."

"What? Who?" Ino asked.

"There's a card here, among the roses. You read it, it is yours," he replied, handing the bouquet to Sakura.

Sakura held the bouquet with one hand and with the other she took the card and opened it. Ino leaned closer to read the card too. It read:

_**To Sakura, the most beautiful girl in the universe, from someone that appreciates her a lot (here's a clue: his name starts with**_** Sa **_**and ends with**_** Sori**_**.)**_

Ino smiled at it, thinking it was very funny and sweet, and she turned to Sakura if she was smiling too, but she wasn't. She was actually looking very worried.

Then she finally understood why her friend didn't look so pleased, and her smile faded and she said, "Oh. I get it. This makes asking him for some time even harder, huh?"

Sakura sighed deeply, still staring at the card. "Knowing me, it doesn't make it harder: it makes it almost impossible."

* * *

If Sasuke was shocked and kind of pissed when he saw his older brother as he exited the school (_Oh crap, is he here to ask me more about Sakura or to embarrass me or maybe both?_), he was even more shocked and pissed when he followed Itachi's gaze and saw Sakura holding a huge bouquet of red roses.

They were from that older dude she was dating, Sasuke was sure. He was jealous and also sad (maybe that would make her get over him and fall in love with the new guy!), but, most of all, very angry. Why did the guy do something as corny as that right in front of the whole school? People was already staring at Sakura weirdly (except for most of the girls, who looked as if they wished someone had sent them roses too), and Sasuke knew, because he knew her and because he could see her worried expression, that Sakura was embarrassed.

He wondered if he should walk towards her. But then he wondered what he would say to her. "Want me to help you with that"? "Hey there, nice roses"? "It must suck to have an overly-romantic boyfriend"?

Sasuke sighed. No, he definitely shouldn't talk to her. He just had to turn around and continue walking home, and maybe even asking Itachi for a ride, because he suddenly felt too depressed to walk home.

That reminded him… What the hell was his brother doing here? Sasuke thought he needed to find out, so he started walking towards his brother.

"Oh, hey there, Sasuke," Itachi greeted.

"Why are you here, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"I think it is none of your business, little brother."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but then suddenly thought of something and smirked. "Alright. If you don't want to tell me, then I'll wait here until you leave and find out by my own." He crossed his arms and leaned against the car, right beside his brother.

Itachi stared at him coldly. "You are so stubborn. And the worst thing is that I can't beat you up here, in front of all of these students."

Sasuke smirked and turned his head. He stared at Sakura, as discreetly as he could. He watched her signing something for the delivery guy from the flower shop and, as the dude walked away, she turned to Ino, who was standing right beside her, and sighed deeply. The blonde, who had her back to Sasuke, told Sakura something that made Sakura roll her eyes. Right then, her other friends, Temari and TenTen, joined them. The four girls talked for a couple minutes and then they parted ways.

Sasuke was too busy following Sakura with his eyes to notice Ino walking towards him (or, actually, towards his brother). He only noticed her presence when she was standing right in front of him and saying, "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke returned her glare. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, Sasuke-dear, for your information, I'm here to spend time with your brother, not with you." Sasuke watched with utter confusion as she linked arms with Itachi. "So why don't you just leave us alone?"

"You got to be kidding," Sasuke told her, and then he turned to his brother. "Is she serious?" he asked him. "Are you guys really dating?"

"Of course we are, little brother," he replied as he pulled a giggling Ino closer. "Oh, I didn't tell you before? I'm sorry, my mistake."

Sasuke sighed. He had been surprised at first, but now that he thought about it, Ino was exactly the type of girls Itachi dated: hot, shallow and very extrovert. Besides, Ino wasn't very different from Itachi; they were both annoying brats who thought they were better than anyone else. So maybe they were perfect for each other.

"He came to pick me up," Ino said proudly. "So let's not waste more time, Sasuke. Leave, please… unless Itachi is giving you a ride home." She turned to Itachi. "Are you?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Do you want me to take you home, Sasuke?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Sasuke said. "You guys have fun in your date."

"Thanks!" Ino said cheerfully.

Itachi shrugged. "Whatever you want." He opened the co-driver door and told Ino, "Get in the car, babe, and call your parents. Tell them you're going to be late home and that your date is going to take good care of you, okay?" He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she blushed and did as Itachi said.

Itachi closed the door and turned to Sasuke. "I have to talk to you," he told him, "but let's make it quick. My girl's waiting."

"What do you need to tell me?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"I saw you staring at Sakura," he said calmly, shocking him. He definitely didn't expect him to talk about her. "I know you're still in love with her, it's pretty obvious."

Sasuke gulped. Of course he still loved her. He had been the one who broke up with her, but not because he didn't want her anymore, but because she was starting to change and too get very clingy. Still, he realized that it didn't matter if she was changing; he loved her anyways, and he missed her.

He shrugged, trying to seem uninterested. "Yeah, so what?"

"I also know the guy she's dating with. Actually, you know him, too."

That made Sasuke frown. "What do you mean?"

"Remember my friend Sasori, the red haired guy who is a rich kid with no job and an obsession for puppets?" Itachi asked, and Sasuke's eyes widened. "Yeah, it's him. He told me about Sakura without knowing I know her, and he seems to be very into her."

Sasuke sighed deeply. He used to like that Sasori guy; he seemed pretty normal compared to Itachi's other friends, even though he was a lazy loser with an unrealistic dream of becoming a great artist. But now that he knew he was the guy chasing after _his_ Sakura (yes, she was still his; she would always be), Sasori was now his worst enemy – right after Itachi, of course.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi shrugged. "I guess I just want to help you. That's what older brothers do, right? Help the younger ones. Besides, I think knowing that and something else will help you clear your thoughts."

"What do you mean with something else?"

"That Sakura still loves you," Itachi said, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Hey, really, I'm not joking! Ino told me, and she's her best friend, isn't she? She couldn't have been lying."

Sasuke looked away and tried to order his thoughts. If Itachi was telling the truth, then Ino couldn't have been lying. She and Sakura were best friends, and Sasuke knew what having a best friend was like. Naruto also knew everything about him, even his darkest secrets.

So it was true. She still loved him, even though he had been a jerk and had broken her heart. She still loved him… and they had a chance to be back together.

"I really hope you're not lying," Sasuke confessed.

"I am not lying. Not this time." Itachi smirked and rounded his car. He opened the driver's door and told his brother loudly, "Well, it has been nice to talk to you, little brother. Think about what I've told you. I'll see you at home." And then he got into the car.

Sasuke watched the black convertible go, suddenly wondering if the thing between his brother and Ino was going to work. He shook his head and smirked at that thought. Of course it wasn't going to work! They were too similar; it was going to get boring to them sooner or later.

That made him think about Sakura, about how they were so different and so interesting to each other. He was happy to know that he still had an opportunity to get her back and that she hadn't forgotten about him.

He turned around, stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked away. When he got home, he still had a smile on his face.

* * *

Hinata arrived to Konoha's airport on Friday, at 5:30 AM. Her sister and her mother were waiting there for her.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Hanabi, her young sister, exclaimed as she hugged her tightly.

"And I'm glad to see you again," Hinata replied, grinning at her sister. "I really thought I was never going to come back."

"But you did! And it's all thanks to mom," Hanabi said proudly.

Hinata looked at her mother, who was standing a few steps behind them. She walked towards her and hugged her. That seemed to catch the woman off guard, because she was tense at first, but then she slowly hugged her daughter back. Hinata smelled her scent, which was still familiar even when it had been a long time since she last smelled it. The warmness of her mother's hug made her feel loved and safe.

Her mother broke the hug and put her hands on her shoulder. She stared at her with a smile on her face. "Oh, God, you're so tall!" she said. "The last time I saw you, you were the same height Hanabi is now."

"Because I was twelve, mom, just like Hanabi is now," Hinata replied, remembering that her mother was always too busy to spend time with them, even though they didn't live so far from each other, so they just stayed in contact through occasional phone calls.

"Is it really been that long?" her mother asked, looking sad, and then she sighed. "I've definitely not been a good mother, have I?"

"You were absent during most of my adolescence, but now you're here, and you've helped me, and that's what really counts. So we forgive you. Right, Hanabi?" Hinata said, and her sister nodded in agreement.

Her mother smiled at her, and then she turned to Hanabi, who was standing beside her sister. "I promise I won't make the same mistake with your adolescence, daughter. I have to be the mother you girls need."

Hanabi grinned and exclaimed, "Group hug!" She put her arms around her mother's and her sister's waists and the three of them laughed as they became a family again.

* * *

It was a sunny Friday morning, a perfect day to have a picnic at the park, and Sakura was heading to her homeroom, walking slowly and heavily. She hadn't slept very well last night, because the worry about what she was going to to do about Sasori kept her awake. She had been lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling for almost three hours, thinking about her options. But so much thinking didn't help at all, because this morning she was still doubtful.

Sakura had arrived to school as early as ever. She had shadows under her eyes and her hair was slightly messed, so she looked as tired as she felt, but she felt alright – kind of worried about Sasori and also tired, but besides that, alright. She wasn't upset as she had been yesterday when she got the bouquet from Sasori. She was fine now, and, somehow, she felt kind of optimistic.

But she felt even more optimistic when she entered her homeroom, because the first thing she saw was Hinata running towards her with a huge smile on her face, yelling, "Sakura, I'm back!"

Sakura beamed and squealed happily, hugging her friend. "Hinata! God, I missed you so freaking much! Don't ever leave us again!" She broke the hug and her expression turned confused. "Wait, when did you come back? And why? And how! Did your dad finally realize you were right about his fiancée and let you come back?"

Hinata shook her head, pursing her lips. "He's still going to marry her. My mom was the one who saved me. She called me yesterday, we talked about it, and she bought me the ticket to come back to Japan. So I'm here, and my dad must have found out only an hour ago."

"Oh," Sakura said, surprised, but she smiled and hugged her friend again. "Whatever, I'm so happy you're back. We will never let you go again."

And right then, TenTen burst into the classroom, followed by Temari. "Hinata!" TenTen yelled, and Hinata broke the hug and grinned at her friends.

"Holy crap, you're really back!" Temari exclaimed, and she ran towards Hinata and hugged her.

"My turn, my turn!" TenTen said, and she pulled Hinata away from Temari to hug her. "Girl, I'm so glad you're back!"

"I'm happy to see you guys too," Hinata said, and then her smile faded. "Where's Ino?"

"She's late, as always," Sakura said. "And the same with Naruto. He's always late, too. So you're going to have to wait some more."

Hinata sighed sadly, and she glanced at the door in time to see Sasuke entering the classroom. Sakura saw him too, but she quickly looked away. Her cheeks were pink, as if she was embarrassed to see him after she's finally realized she still loved him so much that she couldn't date any other guy.

Sakura felt his stare oh her as he walked towards their group. For a moment, she thought he was going to talk to her, and her heart started beating faster. But she realized he wasn't when he said, "I'm glad you're back, Hinata. The moron misses you so much he couldn't stop talking about you, and he was giving me headaches."

Hinata giggled. "Thanks, Sasuke. Do you know when he's going to arrive?"

"Maybe in five minutes or so. Don't worry, you'll see him soon," he replied, and Hinata smiled at him and nodded.

Sakura glanced at him, but she regretted it when he glanced at her at the same time and their eyes met. She ordered herself to look away, but she didn't, because she didn't want to. She didn't want to look away from those dark eyes she loved so much. She wanted to look into them forever.

So Sasuke was the one to look away first. "Welcome back, Hinata," he said, and then he walked away.

When he was gone, TenTen and Temari looked at Sakura pitifully. "You alright, Saks?" TenTen asked softly.

Sakura sighed, wanting to say yes, but finding unnecessary to lie. "Been better," she replied.

"Wait, why didn't you talk to him? And why are you like this?" Hinata asked, frowning, and then she gasped. "Don't tell me you guys-"

"Yes, we have broken up. I'll tell you the rest later, Hinata," Sakura interrupted. "I don't feel like talking about it now."

"Oh my God," someone said from the doorway, and the girls turned to see Ino standing there, her mouth agape and her blue eyes wide as they stared at Hinata. "Am I dreaming?"

Hinata grinned and shook her head. "Come here, Ino, give me a hug!"

Ino laughed and ran towards her. "My life is finally getting better!" she exclaimed as she hugged Hinata tightly. "First I get a new boyfriend, and then you come back!"

"A new boyfriend?" Hinata asked, confused. "What about Sai? You broke up with him too?"

"He went to France," Ino said emotionlessly, and Hinata gasped. "But let's not talk about it now, okay?"

"Okay, but who else broke up with her boyfriend?" Hinata asked.

"No one, just Sakura and Ino," Temari replied. "I'm still with Shikamaru, and TenTen is even liked by Neji's strict parents."

"Really? That awesome!" Hinata told TenTen.

"Yeah, but I'll tell you the details later," TenTen said, "Classes are about to start and Temari and I have to go to our classrooms, right, Tem?"

"Right, Tennie," Temari said. She and TenTen hugged Hinata once again, and then they walked away, waving goodbye.

"Let's go to sit, Hinata," Sakura said, smiling at her friend. "Your seat has been empty for too long, and it misses you."

"Uh, actually, I want to wait for-" Hinata said, but she was interrupted by the sound of a very familiar voice coming from the doorway.

"DAMMIT, WATCH-! Oh, it's you! Hi, TenTen. Hi, Temari. What are you guys doing here? Aw, don't tell me I'm in the wrong homeroom! That'd totally suck because I'm already late and-"

And then he saw Hinata. He instantly shut up, as if he had lost his voice, and his wide blue eyes stared at her with a mix of confusion, amazement and uncertainty. It was as if he was wondering whether or not he was imagining things.

"Naruto," Hinata whispered, staring at him tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, and even though they were like five feet apart, he heard her perfectly, and the sound of her voice seemed to burn away his uncertainty and to prove that she was really there.

And then he ran towards her. He put his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She hugged him back eagerly, sobbing quietly and running her fingers through his hair as if she wanted to make sure he was real.

"Hinata," Naruto said, also crying. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Hinata replied.

Sakura watched as the couple kissed, and she felt so happy for them and so moved she felt like crying. "Jeesh, this cheesy crap is going to ruin my makeup," Ino murmured beside her, sniffing. Sakura looked at her, and then at Temari and TenTen, who were standing at the doorway, trying not to cry as they watched the happy couple kissing, and had completely forgotten about the classes getting started.

"It's more moving than watching freaking Titanic," Sakura admitted, smiling.

* * *

Notes: Review and you'll be cooler than you already are! I promise! :D


	19. The friendship spell

Notes: Wow, it's been more than a month since I last updated! I am such a bad person. ): I've been so busy writting my other fic that I kind of abandoned Love Spell! Please forgive me, Love Spell, I still love youuuuuu! D':

Disclaimer: Kishimoto is the owner of the characters!

* * *

**_Chapter nineteen_**

_The friendship spell_

"Hey, mom, it's me… Yeah, everything's fine, it's just that something awesome has happened. Guess who is back? Hinata! Yeah, I know… Okay, hold on." Sakura put the cell phone against her chest, turned to Hinata and said, "Mom says she's glad you're back."

Hinata smiled. "Tell her I say thank you."

Sakura nodded and put the cell phone against her ear again. "Hinata says thank you. But anyways, mom, I called you because I want to know if it's okay if I spend the night at Hinata's. We're gonna make a sleepover to celebrate she's back. Tomorrow's Saturday, anyways, so we don't have to go to school." She listened for a few moments, in which her four best friends stared at her, anxious to know what her mom would say. Finally, Sakura smiled and her friends sighed in relief. "Thanks, mom!" Sakura said. "Yeah, I'll pick up my stuff up in half an hour or so… Okay. Love you!"

Sakura hung up, put her cell phone back into her school bag and looked at her friends with a grin on her face. "Alright," she said. "TenTen, Ino and I have permission. What did your dad say, Temari?"

Temari, who had called her dad right after lunch time, when the girls had planned the sleepover, shrugged. "You know how he is. He said no, but he's too busy with his job to check if I obey him or not. When he gets home he'll see I'm not there, but he'll know I'm at Hinata's, so he won't be worried. I'll get grounded later, but that doesn't matter."

"Are you sure?" Hinata asked doubtfully. She didn't like the idea of Temari getting grounded.

"Yeah!" Temari said, grinning. "You guys don't worry. Let's just have a good time tonight."

"Alright then," Hinata said, because, really, if she got grounded she wasn't going to die. And besides, Temari was right. They just had to have a good time tonight.

Ino grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

The car was parked in front of TenTen's house. They were all waiting for said girl to come out. Temari was driving (obviously; it was her car), Ino was in the co-driver seat, and the rest of them were in the back seat.

The door of TenTen's house finally opened and TenTen came out. Her mother came right behind her, but she stayed at the doorway, and waved at the girls in the car. The girls waved back just as TenTen got into the car, yelling, "Bye, mom! Love you!" at her mom. When the door closed behind the brunette, she said, "Okay, girls. Let's go."

As Temari started the engine, Hinata remembered the time they met Kim. The five of them were in that same car, sitting in the same seats, and they had been on their way to Ichiraku's to celebrate that the Konoha Kyuubis had won against the Suna Lions. It all seemed to happen centuries ago, but it actually happened months ago. It was surprising how many things had happened since that day, and how different things were now.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Sakura asked her as Temari pulled the car into the driveway and Ino and TenTen sang loudly the song playing on the radio.

"I just thought of that time when we first met Kim," Hinata said.

"Oh, yeah," Sakura said, nodding. "Wow, we all were in this car that time, right? Ino made a joke that annoyed and distracted Temari, and I suddenly screamed "watch out!" because a girl, who was actually Kim, was standing on the middle of the road and we almost knocked her down."

"And we also almost ran into a tree," Hinata added, and even though it wasn't funny, she smiled. "Yeah, I remember that. We were scared shitless."

Sakura smiled too. "Amazing how it feels like that happened years ago, huh?"

Hinata nodded and her smile widened. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

* * *

An hour later, Hinata was sitting on the edge of her king-sized bed, frowning. She looked at Sakura, who was lying on the floor right in front of her, staring at the ceiling with sadness-filled green eyes. She looked almost dead, and Hinata would've freaked out if it wasn't because she was blinking every now and then and because her chest raised and lowered, showing she was breathing. Still, she was so immobile Hinata was getting kind of worried.

She turned to Ino, who was sitting on a chair in the balcony. The blonde was very immobile too, and, even though Hinata couldn't see her face, she knew those eyes staring at the dark sky above them were as sad as Sakura's. Besides, Hinata noticed how her shoulders raised every now and then, as if she sighed deeply. And she seemed to be sighing a lot. Hinata thought that wasn't good.

She turned her head and looked at TenTen, who was lying on her stomach, on the bed, right behind Hinata. She was playing with her iPod, and Hinata knew she was just pretending to be listening music, because she wasn't. If she were, Hinata could've heard the music coming from the earphones even if she was sitting almost a meter away. TenTen loved to torture her ears with loud music. She also loved to sing it out loud, but she wasn't doing that now, which was weird. Very weird.

Lastly, Hinata looked at Temari, who was sitting on a chair, with her back to the dressing table. Their eyes met, which surprised her. None of her other friends looked back, or even noticed Hinata was staring at them. They were too trapped into their little, troubled minds. But Temari wasn't; actually, Hinata suspected those dark-blue, worry-filled eyes had been staring at her even before she noticed.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

Surprisingly, all of her friends turned to her. She had spoken very lowly, only for Temari to hear, but they all had heard her. The room was that quiet.

Temari, who had raised her eyebrows at Hinata when she spoke, as if she had forgotten she could speak, replied, "Uh… nothing. Why? What seems to be wrong? I don't see anything wrong in here." She laughed nervously, and that, plus her talking too quickly, made Hinata realize she was hiding something.

"I do," Hinata said, narrowing her eyes at her eighteen-year-old friend.

"Ah hell," TenTen suddenly said, in an I-just-realized-something tone. All of the girls turned to her, and she said, "Don't you guys realize? It's a déjà vu!"

"A déjà vu?" Ino repeated from the balcony, frowning. She stood up, came back into the bedroom and sat beside TenTen.

"Yeah, a déjà vu," TenTen said. "You know, the experience of feeling sure you've witnessed or experienced a situation before. It means "already seen" in French and the first person to use this term was-"

"Okay, Miss Wikipedia, we get it," Ino said, rolling her eyes.

"We know what a déjà vu is," Sakura said. "But why do you-?" She cut herself off, and her green eyes widened and her mouth formed a small O. "I get it now!" she exclaimed, and the sadness in her eyes was replaced by amaze. She told TenTen, "You mean that time when we decided we'd do the love spell, right?"

Hinata got it too, and she gasped. Of course! She hadn't paid attention to it, but she also kind of felt the déjà vu, though she had been too busy being angry at her friends for being all depressed when they were supposed to have fun.

"Yeah!" TenTen said, smiling and looking as amazed as Sakura.

"Oh, I get it now," Temari said lowly, but she didn't seem surprised or amazed; she was just interested.

"I don't," Ino said, frowning at her friends.

"Remember the night we decided we'd do the love spell?" Sakura asked her, and she nodded. "Well, we were here, in Hinata's bedroom, supposedly having a sleepover, just like we do right now, but we were all moody, except for Hinata, just like right now… You get it now?"

Ino nodded and she said, "Ohhhh, yeah, I get it. Yeah, it's a déjà vu! It's so cool… I feel special."

"Well, why don't we do the same thing we did that time?" Hinata suggested. "You guys tell me what's in you minds, just like that time. We have to be honest with each other."

"Yeah, and it'd be just fair we'd all confess in the same order," Ino said. "So you're up, Temari."

Temari looked at her friends, and Hinata frowned when she saw the emotions that filled her eyes: worry, sadness, pain, horror, confusion, frustration…

"Why don't we do it backwards?" she asked, trying to smile.

"Yeah, let's do it that way," Hinata supported, because she knew Temari needed it. There was something going on with her, but Hinata thought her friend wasn't ready to let them know yet. There was no hurry, and she didn't want Temari to feel pushed. So Hinata tried to remember who had been the last to confess that time, and when she did, she turned to TenTen and wiggled her eyebrows at her.

TenTen rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll do it." She ran a hand through her loose hair and hesitated a little before finally saying, "I was just thinking about Neji. A few days ago, he asked me - looking very scared and sweet, by the way - if I was ready to… umm… you know…" She blushed madly and didn't say anything else, but the girls instantly got it, and they gasped.

"And what did you say?" Sakura asked, shocked.

"Well, I haven't given him an answer yet. I told him I needed time to think."

"If you want to say no, then that's the worst thing you could've done," Temari said. "But if you want to say yes, then it's perfect."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"Because if TenTen doesn't want to, then she'll keep his hopes up," Temari replied. "But if she does want to, then keeping his hopes up but never giving a straight answer is perfect because that'll keep him more interested in you. Don't exceed, though; he can give up if you take too long."

"Do you want to say yes, TenTen?" Ino asked the brunette.

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know!" TenTen exclaimed, covering her blushed face with her hands.

"And how can we help?" Hinata asked, worried about her stressed friend.

"I think that we can't do anything," Temari said. "She'll do what she thinks is the best thing to do."

"But I don't know if there's a right or a wrong choice," TenTen whined. "I mean, I love him, he loves me, and of course I'd like to, you know, have that kind of intimacy with him, but… Aren't we too young? What if I mess up? And what if I don't like it!" TenTen covered her face again, shaking her head and murmuring how unsure she was. Ino patted her back, consoling her.

"Just follow your heart," Ino said.

Sakura snorted. "God, Ino. That sounded so lame."

"But it's the truth!" Ino glared at her. "And at least I'm helping, forehead."

"Oh, shut up, pig, I'm helping too."

"Oh, really? Well, I don't see how."

"Yeah? Well, I'll show you what I-"

"Hey, stop bickering!" Hinata said, and her friends obeyed. "It's not time for that. Who's next?"

"Huh, I think it's me," Ino said. She stopped patting TenTen's back and took a deep breath. Everyone, even TenTen, listened attentively at her. "Okay, my problem is about my new boyfriend, Itachi. You all know who he is, right? Sasuke's hot older brother? Okay, yeah. Well, yesterday, he picked me up from school, and he took me to the movies, and then to eat dinner and he bought me a cute teddy bear and a rose, even. So, yeah, he was super sweet, and I felt very happy. But then… at night… he took me to watch the stars. We went to a hill from which we could see the whole city, and it was very romantic. We were in his car, cuddled against each other, and then we started kissing."

"Don't tell me you lost your virginity last night," Sakura said. Her green eyes were wide and filled with horror.

"Jeez, no!" Ino said, repulsed. "I'm not a whore, forehead; I'm a good girl. But, honestly, I was kinda close to, because things started to heat up and… well…"

"He tried something you didn't want?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, exactly. I stopped him and told him I wasn't ready, and he was cool about it, but he hasn't called me yet. I think he got mad at me, because he is a jerk who only wanted sex from me and now that he knows I'm not that kind of girl…" She sighed deeply. "It's not as if I'm in love with him," she continued softly. "It's just that he was perfect. He is hot and nice and _hot_, and he made me forget about Sai. But now that I discovered he's a jerk… I don't know how I'm going to get over Sai."

This time TenTen patted her back to console her. "Aw, Ino, it's okay," she said. "He's not the only hot man on earth, and you'll get over Sai someday."

"Someday when? In two decades?" Ino said, scowling.

"No. I read in the internet that you need two years to fall completely out of love with someone you really loved," TenTen replied. "But don't worry; maybe you'll need less than two years."

"TenTen is right, Ino," Temari said. "He's not the only man on earth. Besides, you only liked him because he's hot, but you aren't in love with him. You actually need to fall in love again to get over Sai, and you have to wait for the right guy to come. You can't just pick him because of his looks; you have to really fall in love. "

"I hope the guy comes soon," Ino murmured, pouting.

"We hope so too." Hinata turned to Sakura. "You're next, Saks."

"I think you all know that my problem is about Sasori," Sakura said. "There's nothing new to tell; you saw the bouquet of roses he sent me, and you know I'm still not over Sasuke. Put those two things together, and you'll guess how confused and unsure I am. I don't know how to tell Sasori to give me some time, and I don't know how to get over Sasuke. My head is a mess and I'm also tired because I didn't sleep well last night. I also think I need a massage, because my back hurts. So, yeah, my life sucks. That's all."

"My life pretty much sucks too," Ino murmured.

"Mine doesn't suck, but it's close to," TenTen commented.

"We all understand how you feel," Hinata told Sakura.

"You should just talk to Sasori, be honest, and tell him how you feel," Temari said matter-of-factly. "If he does care about you, then he'll understand it. And about Sasuke… well, you just need time."

"I know," Sakura said. "Thanks for listening to me, girls."

"That's what friends are for," Hinata said, smiling at her pink haired friend. She turned to Temari and looked at her with gentleness. "Temari, it's your turn, but if you don't feel ready to tell us…" she started, but Temari shook her head.

"No, it's okay, Hinata. You guys need to know it sooner or later, anyways. It's now or never." Temari's face was a mask of conviction. Hinata thought she looked like she didn't want to do it, but she was forcing herself to toughen up. She was about to tell her that really, she could do it later, but then Temari burst out, "I'm moving to Suna when this school year ends." Her four friends gasped, but she continued, "I'll go to Suna University. My dad doesn't want me to stay here and I can't change his mind. Besides, I have to accept that he's right: if I do a degree in architecture there, I'll have more possibilities because Suna University is one of the best universities in the country." She looked at her friends with tears in her eyes and finished, "I'm sorry for not telling you before, girls. It's just that you've been the best friends I've ever had and it was really hard for me to find a way to tell you this."

Sakura and TenTen were crying. Ino was so shocked she was immobile. Hinata, who knew how to control her emotions, was the first to speak. "Temari… It's – it's okay, we understand. I can imagine how hard this is. We'll miss you as much as you'll miss us. We… we're also very glad you'll go to the best university-"

"TEMARI, DON'T GO!" Ino suddenly screamed, throwing her arms around Temari, and crying.

"INO!" Sakura exclaimed. "Don't say that! You're being selfish." She wiped her wet cheeks and sniffed. "I mean, it's true we wish you could stay," she told Temari, "but we just want the best for you, and we're glad you'll get it, as Hinata said. But it's… it's going to be weird not to have you here to give us good advices and everything."

"And it sucks because now I'm going to be the older one in the group," TenTen said, smiling weakly.

Temari was already crying, but she laughed at TenTen's comment. "Girls… you're awesome, you know that?" she said, and that sentence seemed to break something in Hinata's heart, because just then she burst out crying.

"Yeah, we know," Ino said, hugging Temari tightly as the other girls moved closer to hug the blonde too.

* * *

After crying for a few minutes, the girls finally calmed down. They were on the bed, cuddled against each other, like sisters. Hinata was on the edge of the bed and not very comfortable, but she didn't care. She wanted to stay like this, with her best friends, forever.

"I have an idea," Sakura suddenly said, breaking the silence. Hinata raised her head and looked at her. She was at other edge of the bed, besides Ino. Temari was in the middle, and TenTen was between Hinata and the blonde.

"Another spell?" Ino asked, smiling sarcastically at the ceiling.

"Actually, yes," Sakura said, surprising them. "But it's not a love spell. It's a _friendship_ spell."

"Is another bitchy fairy going to come back for her pay if we do it?" TenTen asked.

"No, because it's another kind of spell," Sakura explained. "Love spells make a person realize his or her feelings for the user. This spell I'm talking about is just to make our bond stronger and to keep us together. Like, for example, in twenty years, we won't forget about each other, because the spell will remind us of our friendship and of all those times we spent together."

"Sounds cool," Hinata said, smiling. "How do you know about it?"

"Last week, I visited my aunt Tsunade and read a few of her books. I read about this spell and thought I'd told you about it when the time came and, now that Temari's going leave soon, I think it's time."

"By the way, we should visit your aunt soon," Ino said thoughtfully. "I liked her tea."

"Yeah, we will. Maybe I'll call her tomorrow," Sakura said. "But anyways, do you guys want to do the spell? It's safe and it doesn't need fairies' services. It needs some of our blood, but just to identify ourselves."

"I say we should do it," Hinata said.

"Yeah, I wanna do it," TenTen agreed. "It'd be so romantic… but in a straight way."

"I'll need band aids if I'm going to slash my finger again," Ino said.

"I think it's a great idea, Sakura," Temari told the pink haired girl.

Sakura smiled. "Okay, then let's go to your kitchen, Hinata. We'll need some things from there."

* * *

The Hyuga mansion was dark and empty at night. Hinata had only two flashlights; she took one and TenTen took the other. Sakura was walking besides Hinata, in front of the rest of the girls, while Ino and Temari walked in the middle and TenTen at the back. The darkness made it seem a super scary adventure, but they had to be quiet if they didn't want to wake Hinata's family (Neji and his parents and Hinata's sister, actually) up, so they all promised not to scream if something scared them.

When they got to the kitchen, Hinata asked Sakura, "What do you need?"

"Uh, well, firstly, the biggest bowl you have," Sakura said. "A spoon and a sharp knife too."

Hinata told Ino to hold the flashlight. Ino lighted for her as she searched for the things Sakura needed. Finally, she put the bowl, the spoon and the knife on the kitchen's bar and asked, "What else, Sakura?"

"Salt, rosemary, pure water, pepper and the roots of a living plant," Sakura replied.

"Okay, I think I have all of that, except for the rosemary," Hinata said. "But I'm not sure. Meanwhile, can someone take the roots from that small plant over there?" She pointed the small plant in the brown plant pot sitting beside the gas cooker.

"I'll do it," Temari said, walking towards it.

"Aw, poor plant," TenTen said, pouting. "It's just a baby! And now we're going to kill it."

"It'll die for a good cause," Sakura said, putting a hand on TenTen's shoulder. "I bet it's the best way for a plant to die: helping five best friends to stay always together."

TenTen smiled at her and Hinata put the salt, the pepper and a tall glass of drinkable water on the bar, with the bowl, the spoon and the knife. "No rosemary," she told Sakura, shaking her head.

"Is it elemental?" Ino asked.

"Yeah," Sakura admitted disappointedly.

"Wait, what does rosemary look like?" TenTen asked. "Is it like a tall stem with slim leaves and little purple flowers?" Sakura nodded. "Oh! I think there's a bush of it in the garden."

"Really?" Hinata asked, surprised, and TenTen nodded. "Wow. Maybe the gardener planted it during my absence. How much will you need, Sakura?"

"Just a couple of stems," she replied.

"Okay. Temari, can you go with me? I don't want to go out alone," Hinata said sheepishly.

"Sure. Let's go," Temari said, smiling. She gave the roots of the plant to Sakura and then she and Hinata left.

Sakura prepared the things for the spell. Ino helped her and TenTen held the flashlight Hinata didn't take for them. Sakura put the pure water in the bowl and sprinkled the salt, the pepper and the roots she had cut into tiny pieces on it. When Hinata and Temari came back, less than five minutes after they left, she took the rosemary, smashed its' pretty flowers with her hands, and then threw them into the bowl.

"Is there going to be an earthquake and are we going to pass out just like with the last spell we made?" TenTen asked.

"No. I told you, this is a different kind of spell," Sakura replied as she mixed the stuff in the water with the spoon. "According to the book, the water will just start to boil and we have to inhale the vapor."

"And when do we have to cut our fingers? I brought the band aids," Ino said, showing the little box of band aids Hinata gave her.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Sakura said. "Okay, after I finish mixing this up, we'll say the spell out loud, in unison, five times, right before one of us slashes her finger. The water will start to boil then. We have to slash our fingers quickly, throw a couple drops of our blood into the water and then pass the knife around. The quantity of blood doesn't matter, neither does the order in which we do it, but I want to be first, if you don't mind."

"We'll do it here?" Hinata asked and Sakura nodded.

"Hey, but we don't know how the spell goes," Ino said. "I mean, what are we going to say?"

"Okay. Listen up." Sakura made a pause and then quoted: "_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay_."

"Those words are less cheesy that the ones from the love spell," Ino commented.

Sakura smiled. "I like them more, too."

* * *

"_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay."_

Sakura slashed a small cut on her index finger, a cut deep enough to let drops of scarlet liquid come out. She let her blood drip over the water of the bowl in front of her. Three drops of blood fell into the water, and then Sakura stuffed her finger into her mouth, sucking the blood of the small wound, and passed the knife to Hinata, who was standing beside her.

"_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay_," they repeated, and then Hinata made a small cut on her index finger and let a few drops of blood drip into the bowl. The water was heating up and vapor was already coming out.

"_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay."_

Temari received the knife from Hinata and did the same thing her two friends did. She let five drops into the hot water and then licked her small wound. After she passed the knife to TenTen, she took the band aid Ino handed her and put it around her finger.

"_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay,"_ they said, and, a second later, TenTen's blood was dripping into the water, which was already starting to boil. She barely gave two drops of her blood, but it was enough.

Ino took the knife and said with her friends, "_With the strength of our bond, the moments we have shared, and the joy we have felt, forever in our minds this friendship shall stay," _for the last time, and then she slashed a three-millimeters-long cut on her index finger. Her red blood dripped into the water before she hurried to cover her small wound with a band aid.

Sakura leaned in and inhaled the vapor. It smelled like rosemary, mostly, but it also had a sweeter smell that reminded her of honey, and a little of that metallic smell of the blood. She straightened up and motioned Hinata to do the same. Her other friends did the same thing in the same order, and when the last one had inhaled the vapor, Sakura took a towel and used it to keep her hands from burning as she took the bowl and threw the water into the drain under the faucet. The water had turned purple, like the rosemary, and thicker. There were no sings of the ingredients Sakura threw into it; it was just thick, purple water.

She put the empty bowl back on the bar and then looked at her friends. "Well… that's all," she said, smiling.

"Wow. That was easy," TenTen said and then she turned to Ino. "Give me a band aid, will you?"

Ino obeyed and offered one to Sakura and Hinata. As they wrapped them around their fingers, Temari said, "I think this means we shouldn't be sad anymore. I'll leave the city, and maybe you guys will leave someday, too, but, thanks to this spell, now we'll never forget about each other, right?"

"Right," Sakura said, smiling. She put an arm around her blonde friend. "Now we are, literally, best friends forever."


	20. Life takes unexpected turns

Notes: Hi again! :D OMG happy new year! I wish the best of luck to all of you in this year. May 2011 be the best year of our lives! (Somehow, that last sentence reminded me of Narnia...)

* * *

**Chapter twenty**

_Life takes unexpected turns_

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes. A girl who looked exactly like her was standing in front of her, smirking. She looked down at her own body; she looked perfectly normal. However, she knew that she was invisible now, that she was a ghost, a soul out of its body. Only she could see herself.

Well, only she and her clone, who was actually Kim, a fairy, inside her body.

"Okay, I'll be leaving now," her clone, Kim, said, grabbing Sakura's backpack. She started heading to the door, but Sakura's shout of, "Wait!" stopped her and made her turn around with a raised eyebrow.

Sakura hesitated for a moment. She had something to tell the fairy, a request to make. She never thought she'd need to ask Kim a favor, but, apparently, life took unexpected turns. Also, she was still unsure about what she was going to ask Kim, which annoyed her. She had been thinking about it a lot, and she had supposedly finally taken the decision of doing it. Why did she still doubt?

_Because you're going to hurt him a lot. Do you really want to hurt him? Why can't you just try and give him a chance?_

Sakura gritted her teeth. That voice just _loved_ to make her feel guilty, didn't it? _Shut up! I am going to do this, even if you like it or not._

_Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you, _the voice replied, making her roll her eyes.

Finally, Sakura looked at Kim and said, "Would you… would you do me a favor?" She smiled hopefully at the fairy.

Kim stared at her for a long moment. Sakura found it extremely weird to be stared at by someone who had the exact same green eyes as her. "What?" Kim asked, clearly suspecting of her.

"Uh, well…" Sakura cleared her throat. "You'll see, there's this guy I met, and he's really sweet and I kind of like him, but I think I can't date him anymore."

Kim snickered. "You want me to break up with him for you?" she asked, clearly amused.

Sakura sighed and nodded. "Yes, please. I know we're not good friends… actually, we're closer to be enemies than to be friends, but I'd really, _really_ appreciate it if you'd do this for me. You'll see, I'm a coward; I wouldn't dare to break his heart... at least not personally. But _you_ are unscrupulous – no offense – so you're perfect for doing it…" She giggled nervously. "So, what do you say? Would you do this for me?"

"And what do I get from doing it?" Kim asked, folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes at Sakura.

"Uh, the pleasure of hurting someone?" Sakura tried.

Kim snickered again and rolled her eyes. "You know? I _am _unscrupulous, but that doesn't mean hurting people gives me pleasure. Maybe it's kind of fun, but it's not my favorite hobby, Sakura. You'll need to offer something better if you really want me to do it."

"Alright," Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes. "What do you want? I'll give you anything… except my or someone else's life, of course."

Kim looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment. Sakura watched her patiently, desperately hoping Kim wouldn't ask for something weird or hard to do or get. Finally, the fairy looked down at her and grinned. Sakura didn't like that grin – at all.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said. "But you'll have to do this…"

Sakura listened attentively at Kim, and the more the fairy explained, the more horrified Sakura got. At the end of the explanation, Sakura really wanted to tell her, "Never mind, I'll do it myself," but then she realized that she'd rather do what Kim wanted her to do than telling Sasori she couldn't date him anymore because she still loved her ex.

So she took a deep breath, looked at Kim with determination, and said, "Alright, I'll do it."

Kim grinned. "Yay! Okay, then. What excuse do I give this guy? That you're lesbian? That you can't stand his bad breath anymore? That you're a psychopath that kills her boyfriends and you really don't want to kill him because he seems nice so he should really get away from you?"

Sakura frowned. "No, no and absolutely no. Tell him that I'm still in love with my ex and that I really like him, but I need some time to get over my ex."

"Wow, that excuse is _so_ much better," Kim said sarcastically, but Sakura ignored the comment and continued.

"Please be kind and show that you care. Also, tell him that we can date again when I finally move on, okay?"

"You really think he'll wait for you?" Kim asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura sighed sadly. "I hope so. But anyways, he'll pick me – I mean, he'll pick you up after school, and then you'll go on a date with him. He'll take you to the amusement park. Don't be rude, but act as if there's something bothering you to let him know something's wrong. Still, try to have fun."

"Oh, believe me, that won't be hard." Kim giggled. "But, how do I know who he is? I have never met him, remember?"

"Oh, right! Well, he has red hair, brown eyes, ivory skin and is really good-looking."

Kim smirked. "And you want to break up with him? Hah! You know? If you don't want him, I can keep him. Fairies and humans are not allowed to mate, but the rules say nothing about not being allowed to have some fun as long as the human doesn't find out about our existence."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Do whatever you want. Just don't do it in my body... and don't kill anyone."

"Okay!" Kim exclaimed happily. "Anyways, when do I break up with him?"

"Until he takes you home. Not before. When he parks his car in front of my house, explain to him that you're still not over your ex and that you need some time and everything I told you before. Act as if you're really sorry and then hug him, kiss him on the cheek and get into the house."

"Wow, you seem to have it all planned," Kim commented, raising her eyebrows. "Why don't _you _do it? It seems pretty easy."

Sakura shook her head. "You don't understand. I wouldn't bear to see him all sad and disappointed. It'd make me want to take what I said back, and I really don't want to do that."

Kim sighed. "Alright, whatever you say. Can I leave now?"

"Yes, but please, Kim, be gentle to him, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever." Kim turned around and walked towards the door.

"Kim!" Sakura shouted, frowning, making the fairy stop with her hand on the knob. "I mean it. Promise me you'll be gentle to him."

The fairy stared apathetically at her. "I promise," she said without much enthusiasm.

Sakura glared at her. "Don't make me use a Keeping Promise Spell. _Swear_ that you'll be gentle to him."

"Sakura, fairies don't swear," Kim told her exasperatedly. "Unless it's for our leader, we can't swear we'll do something for someone, especially not for a human. But I _promise _I will be gentle and explain everything you told me to him, and this time I'm not lying, because if I don't keep my promise, then you won't have to do what I want you to do, remember? We have a deal, sweetie."

"Oh, right," Sakura said, raising her eyebrows. "I almost forgot about that..."

"Duh!" Kim rolled her eyes and turned to the door. "Bye, bye, Sakura, I'll see you later."

"Bye," Sakura said softly.

When Kim closed the door behind her, Sakura slumped on her bed. She stared at the white ceiling worriedly, wondering how Sasori would take it. She only hoped he weren't suicidal.

* * *

School had finally ended, and TenTen was feeling very sad. Ever since she and Neji discussed the sex thing, it hadn't been the same between them. Now everything was more awkward and every time he got closer she couldn't help but blush and imagine dirty things. She really wished they'd have touched that subject later, when they were ready for it.

Sighing for the millionth time in the day, she exited the school gates. She raised her head (she had been staring worriedly at the ground) and spotted two blonde girls talking to each other. Instantly, she smiled. Maybe being with her friends would cheer her up a bit.

"Hi, guys," TenTen greeted as she approached Ino and Temari.

"Hey," they said in unison, smiling, but their smiles faded as soon as they took a good look at their brunette friend. "What's wrong?" they asked, again in unison, and then they exchanged a surprised look, probably wondering why they were suddenly saying the same things at the same time.

"Nothing's wrong," TenTen lied, trying to smile. When her friends did nothing but stare at her with skepticism, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, alright, you got me. There _is_ something wrong."

"Is it about Neji?" Temari asked worriedly.

"Obviously," TenTen murmured.

"You're still feeling uneasy about the sex thing?" Ino questioned.

TenTen nodded. "Not only do I feel extremely unsure and confused, but things have also gotten very awkward lately. It's not the same between us anymore. It's as if… as if every time we look at each other, we get dirty thoughts or something."

"You haven't given him an answer yet?" Ino asked.

TenTen shook her head. "No," she sighed. "I'm telling you, I've never been so confused in my life. I can't take a decision – not yet. I need more time to think, I guess."

"Okay, just let me ask you one thing," Temari said. "Do you want to, you know, screw him?"

TenTen made a face. "God, Temari you're so vulgar!" She sighed and blushed. "But, yeah, I guess I do." A sheepish smile appeared on her face. "I mean, who wouldn't?"

"Then what is so damn confusing? If you want to do it, then do it!"

"Yeah, it's simple like that," Ino supported. "You guys love each other; you are crazy for him, and Neji is crazy for you, too, so crazy he wants to have you-know-what with you. If I were you, TenTen, I would be humping the life out of him right now."

TenTen giggled. "Really, you guys are disgusting," she said. "But you also make a lot of sense. Seen from that point of view, I'm just being a drama queen and making it difficult. Still, I… I don't know." She blushed. "No one has ever seen me naked before and I've never seen a naked guy in my life, either. I feel so… insecure. What if he doesn't like me anymore after we do it?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "You know, Tennie? You should really talk to your man about this and tell him how you really feel."

"But what if he thinks I'm stupid?"

"Believe me, he won't," Ino assured, smiling. "Just talk to him, alright? That will clear your doubts and make you feel better."

"Ino is right," Temari said. "Talking to him is the best you can do."

"I guess I'll try it," TenTen said, smiling slightly. Her friends had really cheered her up; she now felt less confused and knew what to do. _Everything is going to be fine_, she told herself just as she caught glimpse of a pink head over Ino's shoulder. "Hey," she said as her smile faded. "What is Kim doing?"

Temari and Ino turned around and the three girls watched as Kim, inside Sakura's body, talked to a red haired guy. The guy was good-looking, and Ino, being the only single there, instantly smirked and said, "Huh, who's that hottie?"

"I think that's the guy Sakura has been dating with," Temari said. "She told us he has red hair, didn't she?"

Ino seemed to remember Sakura did describe him as red-haired, and her smirk faded. "Oh, right. He's taken, then... Damn, I was about to go hit on him."

"Ino, really," Temari said exasperatedly. "No offense, you know I love you, but you're such a slut."

"Hey, I am _so_ not a slut," Ino said, frowning at her blonde friend. "I'm still a virgin. A slut is someone who sleeps with any guy. I'm just… flirty."

"But weren't you dating Sasuke's older brother?" TenTen asked confusedly.

"Oh, that was just what we were talking about before you arrived. I kind of broke up with him last night. I told him we couldn't see each other anymore because I wasn't comfortable with the age difference."

TenTen raised her eyebrows at her. "Wow. And what did he say?"

Ino smiled, kind of sadly, and shrugged. "He gave a damn, of course. And I give a damn about that, too."

"Oh, shit," Temari suddenly hissed. Her two friends turned to her and followed her gaze; she was watching Kim getting into a black car that seemed to be the red-haired guy's car. "Is she doing what I think she's doing?"

"Yeah, I think she is," Ino said, glaring at the fairy inside her best friend's body. "I wonder if Sakura knows about this."

"That's what cell phones are for, darlings," TenTen said as she rummaged through her bag. She took her cell phone out and dialed Sakura's number as her friends watched the black car go.

"_Hello?"_

"Sakura? Is that you?"

"_Yeah, what's wrong, TenTen?_"

"I want to inform you that Kim has left with the guy you've been dating with," TenTen said, glancing at the car, which was already gone. "Well, we are not sure if it's really the guy you've been dating with, but he is hot and red-haired, just as you described him. Anyways, even if he's not that guy, he is a guy, and Kim has left with him, taking your body with her. Do you want us to follow them or something?"

"_He already picked her up from school?_"

TenTen frowned. "What do you mean with that?"

"_Well, you'll see, I told Kim to do that. Yeah, he _is _the guy I've been dating with, and I told him to pick me up from school today, when I was going to lend Kim my body, because I want her to break up with him for me, 'cause I'm too coward to do it myself, I guess."_

TenTen's frown deepened. Ino and Temari looked at her with confusion. "Are you serious? You really are making her break up with him for you?"

"_Uh, yeah. Well, actually, I am not making her to do it. We made a deal. If she makes me this favor, I'll make her a favor."_

"What favor are you going to do her?" TenTen asked. She suddenly looked up and saw Hinata walking towards them, waving happily, but when she took a good look at their expressions, her smile disappeared.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh. "_You will never believe it._"

* * *

"She's going to wear a chicken suit for school tomorrow?"

TenTen nodded. "And she's not going to take it off till school ends."

Hinata's eyes were wide and surprise-filled. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. TenTen burst out laughing, too. She had to admit it: it was hilarious. She really couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Beside Hinata, Ino was clutching her stomach for laughing so hard, and Temari was saying, "That fairy is a freaking _genius_!"

A few moments later, Hinata stopped laughing, wiped the tears of laughter in her eyes and, still smiling, asked TenTen, "But how is that a favor for Kim?"

"Well, Sakura is going to make her the favor of amusing her, I guess," TenTen replied, shrugging.

Hinata giggled. "Well, make sure to bring cameras tomorrow, okay? We must never forget that day."

Ino giggled, too. "Yeah, I'm going to keep a picture of her in that chicken suit and look at it every time I need something to cheer me up."

"That's a great idea," Hinata laughed. "Anyways, I gotta go, girls. I'm going to Naruto's house."

"Uhhhh, what are you guys going to do? His parents are not home?" Ino teased.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "His parents _are_ home, and we're just going to study for tomorrow's exam."

Temari gasped. "Crap, I almost forgot! I have to go to Shika's house today to study, too!"

"You're _so_ lucky, Temari," Ino said, pouting. "You have a genius boyfriend to help you study."

"Oh, believe me. I don't think they actually study," TenTen teased, receiving a mocking glare from Temari.

Hinata giggled. "Okay, well, I'll see you later, guys," she said.

"Bye!" the other girls said and then they watched her jog towards the blond boy waiting for her a few meters away. He smiled when he saw her, and then they walked away holding hands.

* * *

"They're so sweet," Temari murmured when Hinata and Naruto were out of sight.

"Yeah," Ino sighed sadly, "wish I had a boyfriend to look sweet with, too."

"Aw, come on, Ino," TenTen said, half-hugging her friend. "Your prince charming will come someday."

"Well, I hope he hurries up... and that he's really smart so he can help me study, like Temari's man," she added teasingly, and she glanced at Temari to see her reaction, expecting her to be smiling or giving her a mocking glare. However, the older girl was not even looking at her, or at TenTen; she was staring at something behind Ino, and, because of the way her eyes had widened and her lips had parted, she was shocked. And speechless, too, because when Ino said, "Temari, you okay?" she didn't reply; she just stayed there, immobile.

Ino turned to TenTen, perplexed, and she was surprised to see the brunette with the exact same expression as Temari's and staring at something behind her, too. Ino wondered briefly if some kind of supernatural force was starting to turn everyone like this, and then she finally decided to follow her friends' gazes and turn around.

Her heart sank as soon as she recognized the person standing under the nearest tree. He was wearing a black t-shirt and brown pants, his hands were stuffed in his pockets and, maybe she was imaging it, but his eyes seemed to be fixed on her.

It was Sai.

Ino hadn't seen him in months, which had felt like an eternity, but she was glad to see he hadn't changed – at least not physically. His hair was still short and as black as a raven's wings, and his skin was still as pale as the snow. He looked so handsome...

"Ino," a voice said from beside her. Ino turned and saw TenTen there, looking worried. "Are you okay?"

Of course she wasn't okay. How could a girl who suddenly saw the guy she loved and hated so much at the same time be okay? She was horrified, angry and confused... and she was also so happy she thought she was going to explode into thousands of butterflies.

Still, she nodded. She really didn't want to explain all of this to her friends. Also, she thought that, if she spoke, her voice would start shaking and she would soon burst out crying, and she didn't want him to see her cry – not again.

"I can't believe it," Temari said from her other side. "Is it really him?"

"I don't know," TenTen said. "But he's real, isn't he? We're not having an hallucination... or seeing ghosts, right?"

"I don't think we're hallucinating," Temari replied. "And we're definitely not seeing ghosts. First of all, I don't believe they exist, and even if they do, why would _he_ be one? He's not dead... is he?"

Ino didn't know. She just knew that it was really funny how a part of her wished he was, and the other part wished he wasn't. It confused and amused her.

"You should... go to him," Temari told her softly. "He hasn't taken his eyes off you ever since we saw him. I think that means he wants to talk to you, Ino."

"Why is he here?" Ino said, finally speaking. Her voice sounded calm, which surprised her. "Why?"

"Ask him," TenTen said gently.

Ino looked at her friends. They nodded, encouraging her. Finally, she took a deep breath and, with a knot in her stomach, she started walking towards the ex boyfriend she thought she was never going to get over of.

* * *

Notes: OMFG, this story is getting exciting! And long! D: Anyways, review and give me my birthday present! :3


	21. Feeling human

Notes: Sorry it's been forever since I last updated this story D; I've been busy finishing my other story and starting a new one :) Gonna update Love Spell more often now, though! I promise ;)

* * *

**Chapter twenty one**

_Feeling human_

* * *

Today had been really fun. Kim was feeling very... satisfied (the word "happy" seemed too cheesy for her). All the afternoon, she had been getting on roller coasters and russian rulettes, playing stupid yet very amusing games to win teddy bears and stuff, eating popcorn, chocolate and cotton candy, and hanging out with a cool and funny human boy. What else did she want?

However, something was bothering her (which was partly great, because that was what Sakura told her to pretend; now it came out natural). It was stupid to be grumpy after the great day she had, and she knew it. She felt so human, as human as she had never felt; not even when she actually _was_ a human she felt like this: so real, so normal. Shouldn't she be pleased with it? Shouldn't she feel calm and glad? Yes, she should.

But she wasn't. And she knew the reason, which she hated to admit, even to herself: she was mad because the feelings she was starting to develope for this human boy, Sasori, bothered her.

Don't get it wrong: she was _not_ falling in love with him. But, even though she was supposed, and expected herself, to give a damn about the boy and to think of him as nothing but a simple human, Kim was starting to... like him. Not in a romantical way, of course, but in a wow-this-dude-is-nice way.

She was starting to wish they could be friends. And she hated it.

But she couldn't blame herself. Fairy or not, she was still affected by the boy's charm and friendlyness. Also, he treated Sakura in a very special way; it made Kim feel warm, safe and... loved. It had been so long since the last time she felt like that. She knew very well that he didn't love _her_, that he actually loved Sakura, the owner of the body she was in, but he still made her feel like that. And she hated it.

But what she hated even more was that now she was starting to wish she wouldn't have to break his heart as soon as he parked his car in front of Sakura's house.

Why was she getting so suddenly sensible for him? Why was she starting to care about him? He wasn't her friend; he was just a human boy she'd never met before until this day. He didn't even know her; he thought she was Sakura and he knew nothing about the fairy Kim. And she, she was a fairy, a love fairy, that lived only to work for her leader and to please humans to get something back. She was just hanging out with Sasori because she had a deal with a human girl named Sakura, and she only wanted to see said human girl in a chicken suit – nothing more.

"Sakura... Hey, Skaura... Sakura, can you hear me?... Hey, _Saaaaks_..."

_Dammit, Sakura, just answer,_ Kim thought, taking another furious bite of her cotton candy. The fluffy thing that looked like a small, pink piece of cloud melted and turned into sugar as soon as it touched her tongue... well, not _her_ tongue; it was actually Sakura's tongue because she was in her body, which made her-

And then she remembered. She was Sakura now; she had to respond when her name was called.

She looked up at Sasori and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I'm sorry, what? I wasn't paying attention."

"Wow, do I make you that bored?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I was just deep in thought."

Sasori smirked and sat on the bench, right beside her. He was really close; their arms were touching. Kim felt something stir inside of her. She didn't like him _that_ way, but she had to admit his good looks made her kind of nervous. After all, fairy or not, she was still just a girl, right? "Yeah, it seemed like it," he said. "What were you thinking about? Oh, wait! Let me guess... You were thinking about how handsome I am, weren't you?"

Kim was not in the mood for jokes, but, in spite of it, she laughed. "You wish."

"Okay, then, what were you thinking about?" Sasori narrowed his pretty brown eyes at her. "You know? You've actually been acting kind of weird today. As if there's something bothering you. You laugh and everything, but you don't seem completely okay. What's wrong, Saks?" He put an arm around her shoulders. He was really warm, and her slightly cold human skin appreciated his nearness. "Can I do something to help you?"

_Yes. Go back in time and make me say no when Sakura asked me to break up with you for her_, she thought, but instead she said, "I'm alright, Sasori. Really. Maybe a little cold, but besides that, I'm very good and even kind of, you know, happy. I had a really good time today." She said that last sentence as herself, not as Sakura, because she really had fun today. Sakura missed a lot.

"Okay. I'll believe you. But only because you're cute," he said, and then he kissed her cheek, making her blush. He then grabbed her hand and raised to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Now c'mon. It's getting late and I have to take you home if I don't want your parents to kill me."

They headed the amusement park's parking lot holding hands, as any couple would. Kim felt very awkward; it was the first time she'd ever walked holding a boy's hand. When she died and became a fairy, she was only eleven years old: too young to have a boyfriend yet. As a fairy, she had met a few cute boys, both human and non-human, but she still had never had a real relationship. She had always dreamed of her prince charming. She had always hoped he would come soon. She glanced at Sasori as they walked and thought, _Maybe he already has..._

And then she shook her head and looked away. That was ridiculous. _She_ was ridiculous. Was she really falling for this human boy? Firstly, why _him_? He was cute and funny, yeah, but nothing extraordinary, really; she'd met better guys. Secondly, it wasn't as if she could be with him; she was a fairy and he was a human: they couldn't mate. And thirdly, he was crazy for Sakura; he would never want to be with a fairy that looked like an eleven-year-old girl. It was depressing and pathetic, but Kim had to be realistic and get over it. Sasori was _not _for her; her prince charming was somewhere else.

It was getting late; the sun was setting and the orange sky was turning dark. The parking lot was almost empty, so it wasn't hard to spot Sasori's black car. He let go of her hand (which kind of dissapointed her) to take the car keys out of his pocket. He pointed at the car with the car keys, pushed a button and the doors unlocked almost magically. But Kim knew it wasn't magic: it was technology, the "magic" for humans.

They got into the car and Sasori started the engine. They made small chat as he drove her to Sakura's house. Kim didn't feel like talking, but Sasori didn't realize that and he continued talking and talking. She didn't tell him to shut to hell up or something and instead laughed at his jokes and answered his questions, not because she'd promised Sakura she'd be gentle to him, but because she _wanted_ to be gentle to him. He was a cool guy.

Finally, Sasori parked his car in front of Sakura's house. Kim braced herself.

"Well," he said, and she noticed that he was suddenly nervous. "Do you want me to walk you to the door?"

Kim shook her head, staring at her lap. "No, it's fine."

"Okay. Then, uh..."

She finally looked at him. They stared at each other for a long moment.

And then, it happened. He leaned forward and kissed her. She didn't stop him – didn't _want_ to stop him. She did nothing but kiss back. Her first kiss... after the one Naruto stole her when she was in Hinata's body, but that didn't count. _This_ kiss was the one that counted, because _this_ kiss – she liked it.

Suddenly, she remembered Sakura. She remembered that Sasori was not kissing her – he was kissing Sakura. And she remembered that she was supposed to break up with him now.

_What the hell am I doing?_

Kim put her hands on his chest and pushed him gently away. She bit her lip – Sakura's lip, the one Sasori had just kissed – and stared at her lap. "Sasori... I have something to tell you," she said, and she was glad she sounded as sad as she was supposed to seem.

"What's wrong?" he asked, startled.

She took a deep breath and said all Sakura wanted her to say – or at least what she could remember. "We... we can't date anymore. I can't be with you. But, don't get me wrong, I do like you; I like you, and a lot. It's just that... I still love my ex boyfriend. I'm not over him, not yet. I need some time to think. I want to be with you, but I really need some time. I hope that you understand. I also hope that, when I've finally moved on, we can start all over again. Maybe... maybe you can wait for me?"

She looked up at him. His face was expressionless and his eyes were cold as they looked at her. "What a bitch," he finally said, sounding so pissed and disgusted that Kim's eyes widened.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't believe you!" Sasori chuckled humorlessly and leaned against his door, shaking his head. "You raised my hopes. You made me think I had a chance to be serious with you. You made me think you were The One. And now you do this: you dump me and then ask me to wait until you stop loving your ex. As if I'm going to wait that long for someone like you!" He turned to her and glared. "You're such a bitch, Sakura. I regret I ever met you." He turned away. "Now get out of my car."

Kim did nothing but stare at him for a long moment, appalled. He had seemed to be so perfect, to be the nicest guy ever. He had made her think he was nice, funny, sweet, friendly, and possibly her prince charming. And now that she broke up with him, he revealed his real self and acted as what he really was: a non-understanding jerk.

_He_ was the bitch. Not Sakura.

Without saying a word, she got out of the car, slamming the door behind her, and started walking towards Sakura's house. When she heard the car was gone, she stopped walking. She stood there, immobile, only a few steps away from the door, for a few minutes. She had so many thoughts in her head, she decided to pay no attention to any of them and leave her mind blank.

Eventually, Kim felt something weird in her eyes, as if they were burning. She freaked out, and started to blink desperately. And then, something warm, small and wet ran through her cheek and slipped off her jaw line.

It was a tear. She was crying. But... why was she crying?

Also, what was that weird feeling in her chest, as if something huge was trying to escape from her rib cage, crushing her heart and lungs and making her want to sob? And why did her throat feel so tight, as if someone was choking her?

Suddenly, it hit her. She remembered how this feeling was called: _sadness_. She hadn't felt like this in years, maybe centuries; she'd lost the count of how many years had passed since her death and resurrection. It seemed so weird to feel like this again.

She'd almost forgotten how it was like to be sad. Almost.

* * *

TenTen, Temari, Ino and Hinata were in Sakura's bedroom. Sakura's mom had told them her daughter wasn't home yet, but, since they were her best friends, they could go wait for her in her bedroom. And waiting was what they'd been doing for the last hour. But they weren't waiting for Sakura, because she was already there, and even though they couldn't see her, they could hear her (they were also very weirded out to be talking to someone invisible). They were actually waiting for Kim. She was going to come back at seven, and after giving Sakura her body back, she was going to leave and never come back again.

The girls felt a little sad, not because they were actually going to miss the fairy, but because they had kind of gotten used to her. It was going to be weird not to have an annoying fairy coming every twenty eight days anymore. At least they wanted to say goodbye to her.

For the past hour, the girls had been talking and laughing. They made fun of Sakura wearing a chiken suit tomorrow, studied a little for tomorrow's exam and talked about guys and stuff. The talking-about-guys-and-stuff part brought up a new subject that surprised Sakura and Hinata a lot.

"What do you mean you talked to Sai?" Sakura asked Ino incredously.

"Yeah," Hinata said. "Isn't he in Europe or somewhere, studying art?"

"He came back," TenTen answered for her blonde friend. "Temari, Ino and I saw him right after you left, Hinata. He was there, standing under a tree, staring at Ino." She glanced at said girl and smield. "He had come only to talk to her. It was so romantic."

"Is he going to stay here?" Sakura asked.

This time, only Ino could answer, since she was the only who had talked to him and Temari and TenTen had left right after the ex couple started their conversation. "No, he's not staying. But he's going to come back in a few months, and then he's going to stay."

"But what happened?" Sakura questioned, perplexed.

Ino sighed. "Well, I didn't know he was there until I saw Temari and TenTen staring incredously at him. I turned around and when I saw him, I felt my soul falling to my toes. I felt happy but angry at the same time to see him there. The girls told I should walk up to him and find out what he was doing here, so I did it. I tried to sound calm and casual as we talked, but, in the inside, I felt really nervous."

"And what did you talked about?" Hinata asked.

"Basically, _he_ talked; I just stood there, listening and feeling like I was dreaming. He told me he's not over me yet and that he missed me, so he decided to come back – not to the city, but at least to the country – in a few months. He's going to finish the semester in his art school back in France and then he's going to change schools. He's going to go to Tokio's art school, which is very good, too, so that he can be able to visit me every weekend."

Her four friends beamed. "Oh my God!" Hinata exclaimed.

"That is awesome!" Temari said.

Ino grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. And there's more. We decided we were going to go to the same university when we finish high school. He's staying in Tokio and study art there, and I'm going to Tokio too and study psychology. We're even planning on renting an apartment to live together."

"That's great!" TenTen exclaimed, but then her face fell and she asked, "Wait, does that mean you're leaving Konoha, too?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll come every weekend and visit you guys and my parents," Ino assured, smiling. "I promise."

Her friends squealed with joy, and then hugged and congratulated her enthusiastically. Ino was beaming, and Sakura realized it was the first time she looked so happy in months.

And then, she realized another thing: her best friend, who used to be as miserable as her, was now happy and had her boyfriend back. But what about Sakura? She was still single, heart-broken and confused. She couldn't go on with her life; she was still mourning her breakup with Sasuke.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Ino. Her mood suddenly dropped when she wondered if she was ever going to be happy, like Ino, again, and she felt like kicking her friends out of her room to be left alone and cry her patheticness out.

Suddenly, they heard the door opening downstairs and Sakura's voice shouting, "I'm home!" Instantly, Sakura jumped up from the bed and ran towards her bedroom´s door. She stopped at the door way until she saw Kim, in her body, walking up the stairs.

"What happened?" Sakura hissed, stepping towards her clone. She was feeling so anxious about how things had gone with Sasori, that she totally forgot about her jealousy of Ino.

Kim's head was bowed and her pink hair – Sakura's hair – covered her face. She brushed past Sakura, without looking at her, and said, "Let's go inside."

Sakura followed her into the room, confused, and closed the door behind her. When Kim noticed the other four girls in the room, she frowned. "What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded.

"We came to say good bye since it's the last time we're going to see you," Ino replied, and then her baby blue eyes widened at Kim. "Oh my God, have you been _crying_?"

Instantly, the other girls tried to take a good look at her, but Kim looked away, hiding her face, and said, "Of course not. Now, Sakura, let's get this over with." She started walking away until she was standing two meters away from Sakura.

"Hold on!" Sakura said as the fairy in her body put her hands together. Kim looked up at her and Sakura's eyes widened when she saw that she, indeed, looked like she'd been crying. "Why have you been crying?" she asked softly, stepping towards her.

Kim looked away, frowning. "I have not been crying."

"Kim, c´mon," Hinata said as she and the other girls started walking towards her. "We're not _that_ stupid. It's obvious you _have_ been crying and that you're just denying it."

"Then isn't it obvious I don't want to talk about it, too?"

Sakura frowned. She and her friends couldn't force Kim to tell them what was bothering her if she didn't want to talk about it, so she started guessing what could've upset the fairy so much. Maybe she was just sad because it was the last time they were going to see each other... Nah. Kim wasn't that kind of person... or fairy... whatever. Actually, maybe she was glad she wasn't going to see them ever again. So... what was going on, then?

Sakura suddenly wondered if it had to do with Sasori and the breakup. That made her remember Kim hadn't told her anything about it yet.

"Hey, how did things with Sasori go?" she asked, and she saw Kim grimacing slightly at the mention of him. So it _was_ something to do with him, huh? "Kim... what happened?"

Finally, Kim looked up at her. Her eyes were anger-and-pain-filled. "He's a jerk, Sakura, alright? He was all charming and nice at the amusement park, but as soon as I broke up with him, he called you bitch and started acting like a jerk. He almost kicked me out of his car, too. He... he's an hypocrite. He pretended to be the perfect prince-charming, but he was just trincking me! I mean, tricking you. Yeah, tricking _you_, not me." She took a deep breath to calm down. "I'm sorry. It just made me so mad I cried, I guess." She tried to smile, but she was clearly forcing it.

Sakura didn't actually care about Sasori being a jerk and calling her a bitch. Maybe it dissapointed her a bit, but she had better things to think about, like wondering if she should believe Kim or not. It seemed like a reasonable explanation: getting so mad because of a jerk that you cried. But there was something in Kim's eyes, which were actually hers, that made her doubt. Sakura thought hard, trying to find another explanation to this.

And then, like cold water splashing against her face, it hit her. Kim had said Sasori had been friendly and nice, which probably made her start to like him. That was possible, because Sasori was very charming, indeed; that was the reason why Sakura had first decided to give him a chance. And then, when Kim found out he was just an hypocrite, she was... dissapointed. So she cried.

Kim just had her first heart-break.

Sakura didn't want to say it at loud; she didn't want her friends to know it and make Kim feel embarrased. Besides, by the look on Kim's eyes, it seemed like she already knew Sakura knew what had really happened. _In times like this, being smart and analytic really is useful_, she thought.

"Why does it feel like this?" Kim asked Sakura in a low voice. She put her hand on her chest and pressed. "It's like... like there's something crushing my heart and lungs, asphixiating me. I don't... like it. It makes me feel heavy but empty."

The other girls looked at the fairy as if she'd spoken in Russian, not understanding at all, but Sakura did understand what she meant. "It's called sadness," she told her, smiling kindly "Humans use to feel it a lot, especially when they have troubles or when they lose someone they love. It's a humans´basic emotion."

"Wait, she's sad?" TenTen asked, looking from the empty space Sakura's voice came from to Kim. "Why are you sad?"

Kim bowed her head and Sakura answered for her, "Because she'll miss us." Everyone else in the room seemed confused with the answer. "Right, Kim?" she asked, winking at the fairy since only she could see her.

Slowly, Kim started to understand that it was just an excuse to hide the truth from the other girls. "Right," she said, looking clearly not pleased with having to admit something like that.

"Aaww, sweetie!" Ino exclaimed, looking at Sakura's clone with tenderness. "I'm gonna miss you too... Well, not really, but – you know what I mean. Full-moon nights are going to be boring without you."

"Yeah, we were just starting to get used to you annoying us," TenTen said, grinning.

Slowly, hesitantly, Kim smiled. "And I was getting used to annoy you, too."

"Okay, enough with the cheesiness," Sakura said. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd give me my body back, Kim."

Kim rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine," she mumbled as she walked backwards until she was standing a couple meters away from Sakura's spirit. She put the palms of her hands together and closed her eyes. Sakura closed her eyes too and when she opened them again, she saw Kim – the real, dark-haired, younger Kim – standing in front of her, right where she had been standing before.

Kim sighed deeply. "Well, I believe you have all paid me now. It was a pleasure to do business with you."

"Yeah, ditto," Temari replied.

"Wait, don't leave without giving me hug!" Sakura exclaimed, and she procedeed to run towards the fairy and wrap her arms around her. Kim was stiff and shocked at first, but then sakura whispered in her ear, "You wanted to feel human again, right? Well, I think that having a broken heart acomplished your mission."

Kim relaxed, chuckled and nodded, but she couldn't reply because now the rest of the girls were hugging her too. When they let go of her, Kim glared, but they only laughed.

"Okay. Goodbye, humans," Kim said, waving awkwardly, and then the girls watched her image vanish and leave only a trace of golden dust behind.

Sakura couldn't help but smile nostalgically and think, _Good luck, Kim._


	22. Graduation Party

Notes: Yay, long chapter :D Somehow, OpenOffice's spell-check doesn't want to work with me, but I tried to do my best! Still, if there's a grammar mistake, please point it out :3

* * *

**Chapter twenty two**

_Graduation party_

* * *

Temari smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She fixed her ponytails once again, just in case, and leaned closer to the mirror to make completely sure her make up looked perfect. And it did. After all, she had been in her room for two hours now, doing her best at looking, and feeling, as pretty as she'd ever looked and felt. She wasn't a vain girl, but she had to be it today, because today was going to be one of the most important days of her life.

Today she was going to graduate from high school.

She couldn't believe it, but the day had finally came. After being in high school for years, thinking about never coming back to that school, about never doing the things she did as a high-schooler, seemed unbelievable. And bizarre. And sad.

Temari had to admit it: she was going to miss high school. She had gotten used to it. She was also going to miss her rutine: waking up at six, getting ready, making and eating breakfast, going to school with her brothers, paying attention in class, seeing her friends and her boyfriend, coming back home, and doing the same all over again the next day.

However, what she was going to miss the most were her friends. The next year, in the university, she was going to be in Suna, and she had no friends there (only her childhood friends, maybe, but she bet they didn't even remember her), so she was going to have a hard time finding her place there.

It was hard, really hard, to abandon things you've gotten used to. Her house, her brothers, her room, her school, her friends, her boyfriend... She had to leave it all behind, to leave it all in Konoha, and build a new life in Suna. If she could be honest, she wished she didn't have to. But she had to. The most important thing for her, above anything and anybody else, was her dream of becoming a great architect. Ever since she was a kid and built coloful buildings with toy blocks, she promised herself she was going to be an awesome architect one day, one her father, and her mother in heaven, could feel proud of. She couldn't give up on making her dream come true. She had to be brave.

Temari sighed deeply. She nodded at her reflection, giving herself an encouraging look, and turned around to exit her room. However, she caught glimpse of a book hidden under her mattress. Frowning, she walked over to it and pulled it out. It was heavy and old-looking. The pages were stiff and yellow-ish. She opened it and read the title on the first page: _Possessions' Spells_.

She smiled at the memories that suddenly plagued her mind. Her smile windened when she rememebered a dark-haired, blue-eyed fairy eating a small, secretly bewitched, cherry candy.

"Temari, you ready?" her brother Kankuro yelled from downstairs, bringing her back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" she yelled back as she leaned down and put the book back under the mattress.

As she exited her room, she told herself she would make a visit to Sakura's aunt soon and give the book back to her.

* * *

Hinata expected herself to be very sad. She also expected herself to burst out crying in the moment she saw Temari walking out of the school's building after her one-hour-long graduation ceremony, carrying a bunch of colorful flowers in her arms and wearing her school uniform as tidy as she'd ever wear it before. She also expected her three other friends to do the same.

But they didn't. In the moment they saw Temari, they ran towards her and hugged her so tightly she lost balance and they all fell to the ground, laughing like little kids. Hinata was feeling euphoric, as were her friends, when they were supposed to be crying and begging Temari not to go. It was weird and surprising... but Hinata was glad of it. She really prefered them to be so happy they looked ridiculous than to be gloomy and crying. After all, it was their last day in high school together. They might as well enjoy it.

"Oh my God, my stomach hurts!" Ino exclaimed. Her laughter had died, but she still had a grin on her face.

"So do mine," Sakura said. Her face was as red as a tomato.

TenTen, who had been literally rolling on the floor laughing, stood up and dusted herself off. The others did the same, helping each other up. Hinata noticed some people staring at them oddly, probably weirded out, but most of the people around them were too focused on congratulating the other graduated students, so they didn't actually called too much attention.

"I want a picture!" Temari exclaimed. "Who brought a camara?"

"Me!" the other four girls said in unison. They looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"Let's use all of them," Sakura proposed. She looked around, apparently searching for someone, and then raised a hand and yelled, "Hey, guys! Over here! Come, please."

Four guys from Hinata's, Ino's and Sakura's class walked towards them. They greeted them all and congratulated Temari for graduating. "What's up?" one of them finally asked Sakura.

"Mind to take us a picture?" Sakura asked sweetly, holding her pink digital camara up.

"Course not," the guy said, smiling, and took her camara.

"But the quest is for all of you," TenTen said, taking her own camara out of her purse. She handed it to another guy and Ino and Hinata handed their own camaras to the other two guys.

"Please," Ino said, fluttering her eyelashes at them.

"Sure," one of them said as the others nodded in agreement.

The girls thanked them and then walked a few feet away and posed. The guys took a few pictures of them and then gave them the camaras back. The girls thanked them again and they walked away.

"Let me see the picture!" Temari said, glancing over Hinata's shoulder to take a look at her digital camara's screen.

Hinata clicked a button to let Temari see the picture. The other girls gathered around her, prefering to see the picture from her camara than from theirs. They started giggling when they saw it.

Ino stood beside Sakura at the left, Temari stood in the middle, and TenTen and Hinata at the right. Their arms were linked and they were smiling brightly. They looked like five girls that were never going to forget the day that picture was taken.

* * *

The graduated students of Konohagakure High School planned a reunion at a local bar the school rented just for them. They could all take some of their friends. And, of course, Temari took her four best friends. They were all excited about going to party with the older kids, especially Sakura, because, lately, she had been convinced that she would find a new love soon, and maybe one of the graduated kids' friends would be of her liking. Things with Sasori hadn't worked out, but, after all, still in love with her ex or not, she had to at least try to move on, right?

But her mood instantly dropped when her friends abandoned her as soon as they got to the party to be with their boyfriends, who were also invited to the party, probably by some other graduated friends they had. Sakura, not feeling like meeting new people anymore, prefered to stay at the table they had taken, sipping from a glass of soda and watching sadly as other people had fun.

She was getting too bored, so she decided to look for her friends. However, she felt too lazy to stand up, so she decided to search for them with her eyes. She looked over at the dancefloor and saw Hinata there. She was blushing madly, dancing shyly as Naruto danced stupidly around her. Sakura smiled. She knew her friend hated to dance, that it embarrased her, but it was cute to see her doing the sacrifice just for her boyfriend.

Sakura looked away and saw TenTen and Neji sitting in one of the couches at the corners of the place. They were sitting extremly close, so close TenTen was almost on Neji's lap, and they were... Sakura looked away, embarrased, disgusted and jealous at the same time. She wished she had a boyfriend to be kissing with now, too. However, she distracted herself from those miserable thoughts by wondering if TenTen had finally worked things out with her boyfriend. Last time she talked about that with her, she was still uneasy about the sex thing. Maybe they had finally got over it... or did _it_. Sakura didn't want to think about it anymore, so she decided to ask TenTen later and search for her other friends.

She spotted Ino's blond ponytail at the bar. She had her back to her and she was talkig with someone, but Sakura couldn't see who it was, so she scooted over to the right and strechted her neck. She caught glimpe of dark hair and pale skin, and for a moment she thought, _Holy shit, is she talking to Sasuke?_, and started to panic. But then she strechted her neck a little bit more and realize the guy didn't have Sasuke's unique hairstyle or dark-blue hair color; he actually had short, plain hair of the color of the night's sky. He was definetly not Sasuke. He was Sai, Ino's boyfriend.

Seeing Sai and Ino together made her mood drop even more. It made her remember how lonely she was and feel jealous of her friend's happiness. _Why can't I be happy again like her?_, she thought sadly. _Why can she be happy but I can't? What does she have that I don't? Is something wrong with me? _

Again, she interrupted her thoughts and started searching for her other blonde best friend. She looked around the dancefloor, the bar, the tables, but saw no sign of Temari. Finally, she gave up, guessing she was probably at the balcony, hanging out with her other graduated classmates.

Sakura sighed again and started playing with a napkin. The boredom made her start to think and her thoughts got her even more and more sad. She even started to think non-sense things like, _Maybe __Sasuke doesn't want to come back with me, as Sai did with Ino, because I'm ugly_, or, _Maybe no guy has come over to make me company yet because my big forehead scares them. _Later, she would tell herself she'd never thought such stupid things before.

Suddenly, someone plopped on a chair beside her with a heavy sigh. Sakura stopped playing with her napkin and blinked up at the person. It was Temari, looking tired but kind of relieved.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked. "I thought you were having fun with the other graduated kids."

"Well, I was trying to," Temari replied. "But I just couldn't stop thinking about something. Can I have some of your soda?" she asked, pointing at Sakura's glass. The pink haired girl nodded, and Temari swallowed all the liquid in one gulp. "God, I was thirsty..."

"And what was that something?" Sakura asked, secretly glad there was finally something to distract her from her thoughts.

"Shikamaru," her friend replied, her voice softening and a distant look on her face. "I hadn't told him about my leaving to Suna yet."

Sakura's green eyes widened. "What!"

The blonde nodded. "I know: I suck. It's just that... it was a hundred times harder to tell him than to tell you girls. I just... I was so... I don't know." She sighed again. "He had no idea, Sakura. I was planning on telling him later, like, tomorrow, but it was making me really anxious; I wasn't enjoying the party. So, I called him, and found out he is here, that some friend of my grade invited him, and he was looking for me. We decided to meet at a far corner of the balcony, far from the guys partying there. We talked. I told him. And you can guess the rest."

"He made a scene?" Sakura asked.

Temari chuckled. "Of course not. He is not the type of dramatic guys who over-react about things, fortunately. Actually, that's one of the reasons I love him."

Sakura was touched by Temari's admission. She knew she wasn't the kind of people who say they love someone very often. Temari only said it when she really felt it. Sakura also felt really sad for her. She was going to have to leave him, the only guy she'd ever admitted she loved. It was tragic. "What happaned, then?" Sakura asked softly.

"Well, he was quiet for a few seconds, looking really serious, as serious as I've ever seen him, and... concentrated. Really concentrated. As if he were trying to solve a very difficult math problem as he stared into my eyes. And then, he smiled. He asked me why I hadn't told him before. I asked him if he was mad at me. He said he wasn't, that he would never be mad at me for being afraid of hurting him. And then I started crying." Sakura watched worriedly as her friend's blue eyes started to water. "He's such a moron... Why does he have to be so good? I don't deserve him. He deserves a girl that would never think of abandoning him to go study somewhere else, a girl totally not like me. Still, the moron says he doesn't want anyone but me... Is he stupid or what?"

Temari was talking angrily, but she was crying. Sakura offered her the napkin she had been playing with, and Temari took it and wiped her eyes with it. When she calmed down, she continued. "I wanated to break up with him. I mean, I didn't really want to, but I thought it was the best for both of us. I don't believe in long-distance relationships. He said he doesn't, either, but that he would never dare to let me go. I realized that I wouldn't dare to let him go, either. So we decided to give it a chance. I promised to visit him every time I could, and he did the same. I mean, phone calls and internet-chat can't be so bad, right?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you guys will be alright."

Temari nodded, too. "I hope so." She took a deep breath and looked around. Suddenly, she snickered. "Oh my God, Hinata looks so embarrased."

Sakura followed her gaze. Hinata and Naruto were still on the dancefloor, and she was covering her red face with her hands and dancing awkwardly as Naruto laughed and hugged her. Sakura laughed. "She hates to dance, but she's doing it for him."

"That's true love," Temari declared. "Oh, and talking about love... Hello, love-birds!"

Sakura looked up and smiled at Ino and Sai. "Glad to see you again, Sai."

"Nice to see you too, girls," he said, smiling politely. He and Ino took a seat beside Temari.

"What've you guys been doing?" Ino asked her friends.

Sakura shrugged. "Getting bored."

"I talked to Shikamaru," Temari said, catching Ino's whole attention. She started to tell her about it, and Sakura, who had already heard the story, started a conversation with Sai.

The blondes chatted as Sai told Sakura about France until Hinata and Naruto and TenTen and Neji came over. They sat with them and they all started to ask Sai about Europe and his art school. Sakura was glad to have company. At least their conversation kept her from thinking about her pathetic life.

However, it all got much worse when Shikamaru arrived. He sat beside Temari, and Sakura saw him taking his girlfriend's hand and hold it there as he started an argument with Naruto about how healthy the ramen was. That made Sakura realize that the other couples were holding hands, too. She was the only one who had no one to hold hands with. It made her feel lonely and pathetic. And she wanted to leave.

"Uh, I have to go to the bathroom," she uttered, standing up from her seat. "I'll be right back."

The others didn't even seem to care she was leaving; they were to focused on having fun, laughing, and reminding her about how miserable she was. It made Sakura feel like she was going to explode any time soon.

Of course she didn't go to the bathroom. It was too small and suffocating there. She was feeling claustrophobic; she needed air. So she headed to the balcony. A few groups of kids were there, being loud and drinking root beer. One of them, a really cute guy she'd never seen before, saw her and offered her a root beer. Sakura stopped walking and stared at him. She had been waiting to meet someone who'd distract her from her gloomness, and now that she'd finally found him, she didn't feel like meeting new people or having fun anymore. Now she just wanted to be alone and cry.

"No thanks," she said quickly, cursing herself for being so stupid, and then she continued walking, leaving the cute guy, the root beer and the fun behind.

The balcony had a beautiful view. She could see the whole city from there. The city lights relaxed her, distracted her, calmed her down. As she put her hands on the hand-rail and leaned forward, she closed her eyes, breathing the scent of the night in. She opened her eyes, and instantly, all of her negative thoughts vanished. She felt grateful.

She stood there for a few minutes, admiring the view, until she felt tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know when she had started to cry. Maybe she had been crying since she walked away from the cute guy with the root beer. She had no idea, but she didn't really care.

She wiped her tears in case someone would suddenly come up to her. She didn't want anyone to ask her what was wrong. She didn't want to explain it to anyone, not even to her best friends. Right now was one of the odd times when she just wanted to be alone with herself and to keep all of her thoughts in her head.

She sighed deeply, expecting the fresh, pure air of the night to soothe her, but instead of that, the air, mixed with a heavy, acrid scent, made her cringe. Sakura looked around, searching for the source of that disturbing smell, and glared at the person standing all alone a few feet away from her. She couldn't see his face because he was covered in shadows, far from the light that came from the lamps hanging over the tables the kids were partying at and from the inside of the bar, but she could see he was a guy.

"Excuse me," Sakura said, raising her voice. She was very annoyed, but she tried to sound polite. "Could you please stop smoking? I know it's a free country, but you're allowed to do it inside. You can do it here, outside, too, but you're disturbing me because I want to breathe air, not cigarette smoke. So, would you please smoke somewhere else...?"

The guy took another drag of his cigarette, turned to Sakura and froze in place. She raised an eyebrow, wondering who he was and why he would be so shocked to see her there.

Suddenly, the guy started coughing. Worried, Sakura hurried towards him, ready to ask if he was okay and offer him a glass of water or something. Depressed or not, she still worried for a choking person, even if the person was a smoker.

However, she didn't get a chance to speak because, when she got close enough to see his face, she froze in place, too.

"Sasuke?" she gasped, her eyes wide. She instantly regretted it. What if she was just hallucinating and the person in front of her was someone else? Surely, she had sounded stupid calling a random person Sasuke.

But she was sure it was him, no mater how hard she tried to deny it. His dark eyes, his dark blue hair, his ivory skin, his fine features... It was him. It couldn't be anyone else.

But why the hell was he smoking?

Sasuke's coughs died and he got his breath back. He looked up at Sakura, who was immobile as she stared at him with a frown on her face, and then glanced at the cigarette in his hand. By the sudden look of embarrasement he had, Sakura guessed he remembered how much she hated people who smoke.

But the most important question she wanted to make him right now was not about his smoking.

"What are you doing here?"

Sasuke sighed and straightened up. "Well, I was smoking. Now I'm talking to you," he replied casually, not looking at her. He threw his cigarette to the floor and then smashed it off with his shoe. The look of the cigarette told he had just started smoking it, which was good, because he didn't smell like cigarette smoke too much. It made Sakura feel flattered that he was wasting it only because of her.

"I didn't know you were a smoker," she said, her accusing tone very discreet.

"I didn't know it, either, until a few weeks ago."

He was being cocky, which pissed her off, but also worried her, a lot. She knew him. She knew he was cocky only with people he didn't really want to talk to, or when he was annoyed. Did that mean she was annoying him? Did he not want to talk to her?

"I'm guessing Temari invited you here," he said, looking up at the starry sky. His not meeting her gaze made her feel uneasy.

"Yeah, she invited me, and she invited Ino, Hinata and TenTen, too. Who invited you?"

"A friend," he replied. "The same friend who invited Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji. By the way, have you seen them? I lost them a few minutes ago."

"They're with my friends, their girlfriends," Sakura said, and that reminded her of her loneliness and dropped her mood. However, she tried to focus on Sasuke instead. It was not time to get depressed again, not when someone could see her.

"Figures," Sasuke sighed, leaning against the hand-rail. "They left me to be with their girlfriends. They don't care I have no one else to be with. I bet they just thought, 'Screw Sasuke, let's go with the chicks!'"

"So that's why you're here?" she asked. "You have no one else to be with?"

He shrugged. "I could find someone else. But... I didn't feel like having company. I just wanted to have some air, be alone and... smoke. It calms me down."

"It was the same with me," she said, putting her hands on the hand-rail and looking up at the sky. "Except for the smoking part. I don't smoke. I've heard it's good to deal with stress, but I just hate the smell. It's my least favorite smell ever."

"You get used to it," he commented. "The smoke kind of purifies you, you know?"

Sakura snorted. "I doubt that."

They procedeed to have a light argument about wether smoking was good or not. Sasuke said it was good to do it moderately, but she disagreed. They were having a casual conversation, as if they were just friends, or even strangers, and not an ex couple. Sakura was talking to, and even laughing with, him as if she wasn't still in love with him. She knew it was strange to be talking to her ex boyfriend so casually, but she didn't really care for as long as he kept her from having negative thoughts that made her want to cry. She was tired of crying.

Besides, she had almost forgotten how much she enjoyed his company.

* * *

TenTen hadn't liked the look on Sakura's face when she excused herself to go to the bathroom. No one besides her seemed to notice it at that time because they were all laughing at something Naruto had said. TenTen had been paying attention to the conversation and also laughed a bit, but she was very observant when it came to people, and even though Sakura had seemed totally normal, TenTen had seen through her facade.

She had been ready to stand up, follow her and find out what was wrong, but then Ino had said something about TenTen and Neji looking uncharacteristically happy lately. Her tone hadn't been innocent at all and had been implying something, clearly. TenTen was able to guess what that something was, and she instantly blushed. Naruto had gotten Ino's implication, too, and he started to say things that owned him two punches: one from TenTen and the other from Neji. Then, TenTen had gotten distracted by the embarrasement and completely forgotten about Sakura.

When she remembered about her again, it had been several minutes since the last time she had seen her. She quickly told Ino, Temari and Hinata about it and they all excused themselves to go to the bathroom and look for Sakura. But the pink haired girl was not in the bathroom. She wasn't at the dancefloor, or at the bar, or at the balcony, or anywhere else, either.

The girls started to panic. Where the hell was she? Had she left? Temari was supposed to take them all home. How did Sakura left? Did she pay for a taxi? Did she asked some random person to take her? What if that random person was a phsyco-rapist-stalker? Was Sakura okay? Was she even still alive?

"Oh my God, this is all our fault!" Hinata exclaimed, covering her ears. She was completely freaked out. "We were too distracted to notice... We completely ignored her! We're terrible friends!"

"Girls, girls, let's calm down!" Temari said, raising her hands in the air. They had come back to the bathroom to check once again, just in case, and to talk it over. "We cannot let panic cloud our logic. Let's think straigh, alright? Where did we not look?"

TenTen breathed in and out slowly. Temari was right; Temari was always right. They needed to think straight. "Uh... let's see... The balcony is pretty big; that would be the only place we hadn't _completely_ searched in. We only, like, looked around and then left, right?"

"Yeah," Ino said, pacing. "But everyone who is at the balcony is at the tables. We looked among them and saw no sign of a pink head. There were a few people furthest away from the tables, but they were standing in groups, against the hand-rail, and we didn't saw Sakura among them, either. She was definitely not there."

"But what if she is even further away, in a corner, making out with a dude in the dark?" TenTen asked. "That's possible, isn't it?"

They all nodded thoughtfully and, suddenly, Hinata gasped. "What if the guy is a rapist and is doing something bad to her as we talk?"

Ino gasped in horror. TenTen only grimaced. Temari, however, stayed calm. "Hinata," she said, rolling her dark-blue eyes. "Don't think like that. Let's stay away from negative thoughts, shall we? And focus on finding a reasonable answer."

"Sorry," Hinata said, her eyes watering. "I'm just really scared."

"Well..." Ino said, "we should go to the balcony again, just to make sure, okay?"

They all nodded and walked out of the bathroom. TenTen didn't really have many hopes on finding her there; she thought Sakura had just felt abandoned and decided to take a taxi and go home to sleep... or so she hoped.

However, when they got to the balcony and inspected the far, dark corners, TenTen felt a rush of many different emotions: happiness, relief, confusion, and a _lot_ of amusement.

"Um, this is awkward," Ino murmured, suppressing a grin.

They watched Sakura fix her hair and Sasuke dust himself off. Her dress' straps were out of place and he had lip gloss all over his mouth. They were blushing madly and their mad expressions made them look adorable, in TenTen's opinion.

Finally, TenTen couldn't hold it anymore: she bursted out laughing. Ino and Hinata did the same.

Temari didn't seem as amused as them, though. "You scared the hell out of us!" she yelled at Sakura. "We thought you had been kidnapped, or raped, or whatever! But you were... you were just..." Her angry expression slowly melted into a wide grin. "Oh God," she laughed, "I will never forget this."

Blushing a darker shade of pink, Sasuke and Sakura just glared at them. TenTen couldn't blame them. No one liked to be caught making out, after all.

* * *

Notes: Aww, a happy ending! :D And - ZOMG, EPILOGUE IS NEXT! D: Can't believe this story is ending after more than a year! D':


	23. Epilogue

Notes: I apologize for updating this now, more than two months after the last update. I had personal problems and I didn't have time to do this until now. I hope you understand.

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

Suna was a nice city. People was kind and polite, the buildings were tall and beautiful, and delinquency was almost nonexistent, so it was a rather peaceful place to live. Temari had been living there for almost a year, and she was happy. She visited Konoha twice, or more, if she was lucky, a month, and she loved her university. She was finally making her dream come true... What else did she want?

However, there was one thing about Suna that she hated, detested, _despised_: the weather. Suna was one of the hottest places she'd ever been. During day, the sun burned your skin; Temari was already very tanned, even when she tried to stay as away from the sunshine as possible. But during night, it was so cold you could freeze if you stayed outside for too long. It was understandable, since the city was surrounded by a desert, but still, it sucked.

She missed Konoha's mild weather so, so much. She missed the warm, yet not hot enough to make you sweat, day, and the night, which was as warm as the day, though the air was slightly chilly. She missed to be able to walk around the city, no matter the hour of the day, in nothing but a t-shirt. She was tired of having sweated clothes after a long day and of having to sleep with heating at night.

Today, however, was different. It was a hot Saturday, but not as hot as always; it was just warm. It was a comfortable weather, and all of the other citizens, including Temari, were glad of it.

Said nice weather just made her mood even better. She was feeling euphoric and excited today... but not only because of the day's temperature, but because her friends, their boyfriends and Shikamaru,Temari's own boyfriend, were coming over to visit from Konoha.

Temari looked around her small apartment, her hands on her hips, and smiled triumphantly. She had spent the whole morning making sure it was as clean as it'd never been and putting everything in its place. Now she had finally finished, and it all looked perfect.

Sighing, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind her, saw it was ten fifty in the morning, and gasped. She only had ten minutes to get ready before they arrived! She hurried towards the bathroom and showered in a record time. She had decided what to wear since last night, so it only took her five more minutes to get ready.

At eleven o'clock, she was sitting on her couch, waiting patiently to hear the door-bell. She had butterflies in her stomach. The last time she'd seen her friends was like a month ago, because she'd been busy finishing her first year of university. It wasn't that long ago, but Temari was still excited to see them again. They could've changed a lot in a month, right?

However, if she had to be honest, the cause of her nervousness was other: Shikamaru. She'd last seen him a month ago, too, but she always got really excited to see him again, it did not matter if it was after a year, a month or a day. He just had that effect on her.

The sound of the door-bell made her jump. Temari rose to her feet and slowly walked towards the door. She took a deep breath, put a smile on her face, and opened the door. A pair of arms was thrown around her a second later, followed by two other pairs of arms.

"Temari!" three female voices exclaimed in unison. The blonde wanted to reply, but she couldn't even breathe.

"Girls... let go," she managed. The girls obeyed her instantly.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" TenTen exclaimed. She was wearing her hair down, as she had done lately, a had a pretty blue summer dress on. She looked way girlier than she had a year ago, but she was still the same TenTen. Temari thought her new look just meant she was maturing.

"Guess we got too excited," Sakura said, grinning sheepishly. Her hair was longer than before; her locks now reached her chest. Besides that, she looked the same.

"Well, we just missed you so much!" Hinata, whose long, dark-blue hair was now slightly curlier, said, hugging Temari once again. Temari just laughed and hugged her friend back.

"I missed you guys too," she said. Her other two friends hugged again, and then she glanced behind them and smiled. "Come on in, guys. Don't be shy."

"We're not shy," Neji said as he stepped into the apartment, followed by Naruto and Sasuke. Temari noticed the three of them were taller and looked more like men than like boys, and she suddenly felt nostalgic; it seemed like yesterday when they were just skinny little boys!

"We're just scared of you girls. Your cheesiness may be toxic, you know?" Naruto joked, winking at them.

Temari grinned. "Nice to see you too, Naruto."

"Nice apartment," Neji commented, looking around. "It's very clean."

"Oh, thank you! I spent the whole morning cleaning. I'm glad at least someone notices it."

"But there's a spot on the coffee table," Sasuke said. Temari's smile faded and Sakura elbowed her boyfriend.

"It's okay, I'll clean it up," Temari said nervously, and she ran to the kitchen. A moment later, she came back into the living room with a cloth and cleaned the spot on the coffee table. "Ready," she said, smiling, and then looked back at their friends. "How is it now?"

"Awesome!" some of them replied as the others gave her thumps up.

Relieved to have it all completely perfect, Temari sighed. "Great." She suddenly noticed there were three people missing, and she frowned. "Hey, where are Ino and Sai? And... Shikamaru...?"

"Shikamaru is looking for a place to park the car," Neji replied.

"We all came in one single truck, you know?" TenTen said proudly. "To save gas and the environment."

"All of us, except for Sai and Ino," Sakura corrected. "Ino left to Tokyo yesterday, to visit Sai. They promised they'd come here today, but they said they'd arrive at noon. They must be on their way now."

Temari nodded. "Okay, let's wait for them, then. Take a seat, please."

They all sat on the three couches around the small coffee table Temari had just cleaned: Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto on the largest one, TenTen and Neji on the medium-sized one, and Temari on the individual. The owner of the apartment offered their guests something to drink, as a good hostess would. They all opted for tea, except for Sasuke, who asked for a glass of water. And then, they started talking.

Five minutes after the conversation started, there was a knock on the door. Temari stood up and opened it, only to reveal Shikamaru standing in front of her, smirking. Temari didn't even say hello: she just threw her arms around him and buried her face on his neck. He hugged her back without missing a beat.

"I missed you too," he whispered in her ear, and then he kissed her on the lips.

When they were done kissing, Temari closed the door as her boyfriend commented on how troublesome it had been to find a place to park the car. She went to sit on the same couch and Shikamaru sat on the floor in front of her, with a hand around her ankle and his head against her knee, as she continued chatting with her friends.

Temari listened attentively as they filled her in. Sakura told her she was working in a clothing store with Ino on the weekends. Hinata announced she and Naruto were planning on living together as soon as they finished high school. TenTen proudly declared that she finally had a car and had decided to study Education in the university to be a kindergarten's teacher.

An hour had passed when they finished bringing her up to date. The girls were drinking their third cup of tea and the boys seemed pretty bored: Sasuke and Shikamaru were leafing through some magazines, Neji was playing with his cell phone and Naruto was starting to fall asleep, with his head resting on his girlfriend's shoulder.

Suddenly, the door-bell sounded. Naruto was jolted awake, and Hinata laughed at his surprised expression. Temari glanced at clock on the wall and smiled. "I think Ino and Sai are finally here," she said as she stood up and made her way towards the door.

Indeed, the couple had arrived. Temari welcomed warmly and Ino hugged her tightly, happy to see her well. Sai greeted her politely and commented on how nice her apartment was. Temari thanked him and then invited them to sit.

"I guess you'll have to sit on the floor. I'm sorry, guys. I'll buy another couch as soon as I have the money."

"It's alright, Temari!" Ino exclaimed as she and Sai sat on the floor, with their backs to the small TV in the living room. "The floor is pretty comfortable, actually. Ohh, and I love the carpet. The color is awesome. It's like a mix of pink and orange, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I liked it too," Temari said as she sat back on her couch. "That's why I bought it. Anyways... You come from Tokyo, don't you? How is it there?"

Ino started telling her about the city and filling her in with the recent events in her life. When she was done, TenTen changed the subject commenting on someone she'd seen last weekend.

"I totally forgot to tell you, guys," the brunette told Sakura, Ino and Hinata. "I've just been so busy finishing high school and finding the university I want to study in... But anyways, you will never believe who I saw, and _how_ I saw her!"

"So it's a girl, huh?" Ino said. "Okay, okay, let me guess... Is it someone we all know?"

TenTen rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"Alright, I get it... So it must be someone from school, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Did we like her? Was she our friend?"

"Not really."

"I see... What color was her hair?"

TenTen rolled her eyes again. "Forget it, Ino, I'll tell you. It was _Karin_."

"Karin?" Sakura asked, as surprised as everyone else in the room was, and TenTen nodded proudly.

"Didn't she leave the city a few months ago?" Hinata asked confusedly.

"I thought so too," TenTen said. "Well, maybe she was just visiting. But that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that I saw her holding hands with someone we all know too." She made a dramatic pause. "And that someone," she continued slowly, a grin on her face, "was no one but Sasori, Sakura's ex boyfriend!"

Almost everyone raised their eyebrows. Clearly, they had expected anyone but him. The only person who didn't look so surprised was Sasuke. "Well, it isn't that weird," he said. "They both are pretty compatible."

"Oh yeah?" Sakura asked. "And what do they have in common?"

The Uchiha smirked. "That I hate them both," he replied, making everyone laugh.

"Wow," Ino said when the laughter died off, "good one, Sasuke." She made a pause and looked around, at each one of her friends. "You know?" she asked. "This seems so weird..."

"What seems weird?" Hinata asked curiously.

Ino smiled dreamily. "I don't know. I just... I never thought we would end up like this, together. Like... some of us liked each other since a very long time ago, but no one ever thought they'd end up together like this, in here... Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, smiling. "You mean you never really believed we would last this long with our boyfriends. That you never thought we would get the chance to get together like this."

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I wanted it to happen, but I never thought this would _actually_ happen, that we would be this happy, not even after we made the love spell, or after we met Kim, or-"

Ino cut herself off. Her smile faded slowly, and her baby blue eyes widened. The other four girls in the room stared at her with the same shocked expression, and no one in the room made a sound for a long moment. _Oh no_, Temari thought. _Ino, what have you done!_

Finally, Shikamaru's voice broke the silence. "What love spell?"

"And who's Kim?" Naruto added confusedly.

The girls didn't answer, didn't move.

"Girls?" Neji asked, looking from TenTen to Sakura, and then from Hinata to Ino, and then finally at the owner of the apartment. "What was Ino talking about?"

Suddenly, TenTen started laughing hysterically. "Oh," she said, tears of laughter in her eyes. "Oh, Neji... Ino... Ino meant something... something really funny that happened... a while ago... It's nothing, really! Right, girls?"

"Yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, a wide, nervous smile on her face. "Yeah, it's nothing. You'll see, Ino was talking about... about a... ritual... Yeah, a ritual we made, like, two years ago. It was supposed to bring positive energy to our lives, and in the instructions it said that it would bring us good luck and more crazy stuff like that!"

Hinata giggled nervously. "Oh, yes! Yes, the ritual. I learned it in... in my yoga class, and I made it with the girls. It was, um, fun."

The all started to laugh nervously. The boys stared at them, some confused, some suspicious.

"And who's that Kim you mentionedt?" Sai asked Ino.

"Oh," Ino said, startled. "Oh, uh, Kim. Yeah, right, Kim. Well, you'll see, she was, um, a yoga teacher. Right, a yoga teacher. She taught us another ritual when the first one we made didn't work. Her ritual did seem to work. It was, uh, fun, as Hinata said. Very fun."

Temari crossed her fingers behind her back as she watched the boys and waited for their reaction. _Please believe it, _she thought._ Please, please don't doubt...!_

Finally, Sasuke sighed, relaxing. "A ritual? Seriously? You girls believe in that stupid stuff?"

"Did you pay that woman?" Shikamaru asked. "Because if you did, then she stole your money, because that kind of stuff is fake. Luck doesn't exist."

Temari sighed deeply, relieved, as Sakura said, "Well, yeah, we did. We know we made a mistake, but you learn from them, right? Besides, we don't believe in rituals anymore. And if we do," she added, smiling, "we don't need to do them anymore. Right, girls?"

"Yeah, we don't need them," Hinata said. "They were useful, but I think we won't do them anymore. We learned our lesson."

The five girls exchanged an amused, secretive look as the boys shrugged the subject off and started talking about something else. None of them knew that, from the window, a black-haired, blue-eyed fairy watched them, smiling and thinking, _I hope you did, humans. I hope you did. _

**THE END**

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Notes: I had so much fun writing Love Spell, and I'm very glad some people liked it. Thank you for reading, reviewing and loving this story. I'd give you cookies if I could:)

Love,  
_~tragedyneverends_


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